A bunch of Rudies in school
by SomecallmeMichelle
Summary: The Rokkaku conglomerate and the Metropolitan Government see that their plans are failing..."Rudies" are caught, then released and go back to tagging. An alternative needs to be found. How about putting all those street kids in school? At the same time though, YoYo is hurt and the bounds of friendship are increasing...T for YoYo's mature language. COMPLETE
1. Prologue

Somewhere in Asia there is a city that cannot be found called Tokyo-to. That is however, pointless, as everyone just calls it Tokyo, anyway. It used to be that the two hottest things in the streets of Tokyo-to were the Punks wearing magnetically driven in-line Skates powered by newly developed "Netrium" batteries, and "Jet Set Radio", a pirate radio station manned by the DJ "Professor K", that played nothing but non-stop, hard-core music.

It used to be that those street punks, nicknamed "Rudies", by the people of Tokyo-to, and the police, roamed the streets and covered them with their personal graffiti, tagging them at will. It was their way of expressing themselves to the world, or so they claimed. The people however didn't see it that way. Sure they were young, and everyone does foolish things in their youth, but those "Rudies" were vandalising private properties. It didn't matter if car, building or billboard, it if was a flat surface, it was taggable. Clashes with the local police, and the captain, captain Onishima were constant, and happened on a nearly daily basis, ineffective as they were.

Ever since the "21st Century project" had been co-founded, by both the Metropolitan Government, and the Rokkaku group, a financial conglomerate, things were tense. Not every young person was a Rudie, but every one of them was treated with the same amount of disrespect and suspicion by the police. Things threatened to topple over into even more violence than the occasional brute force used by the local police force (and then promptly denied), something had to be done.

The higher ups at Tokyo-to then had an idea…. despite protests from Captain Onishima, who was more anxious than ever to put them behind bars, or at least, juvie, an alternate plan was formed...this plan, designed to give the young teens something to do instead of merely wandering around tagging what had been previously wiped clean, educate them, and give them values they could carry on. In short, the project was designed to school them.

While at first, reactions were mixed, with one captured kid even going so far as to say "What the hell kind of bull do they think we'll put up with?", language notwithstanding, for a 15 year old, sunglasses wearing boy, the city of Tokyo-to was forced to take measures. If you were caught, or one of your friends in your gang of "Rudies" was, either you, and all of your friends went to the school, or the captured kid would be thrown a more severe sentence. Despite claims of fascism, Tokyo-to couldn't be found on any map, so it sort of ruled itself.

The streets had been ready to explode, and this had been the alternative found. Not everyone was happy with it, but the higher ups were hoping for the best...Most "Rudies" had been forced to go to school already. Little radios with Jet Set Radio and earbuds set to listen to Professor K coming along. They were inspected at the entrance for Spray paint, that, however, didn't mean that they wouldn't do it didn't plan on learning anything, but when you shove dozens of teenage kids, who are used to the freedom of "Netrium" in-line skates, and to do whatever the heck they want, in rooms, and force them to sit still…

Well you get very interesting interesting results.

This is their story...


	2. Chapter 1

Panting. People being shoved aside as they, the four of them accelerated with as much speed as they dared down the streets. Racing as fast as their roller-skates would allow, some of them used the innate ability of them, "Netrium batteries" as they were equipped, to grind along rails, instead of moving through the crowd. All to get away as fast as possible.

Blue and yellow sparks were present, as the four youngsters rushed through, they were near the terminal. A place where buses went and came- It was their turf, but it was also very flat terrain. They were unlikely to gain any major traction over the one chasing them, even if on Roller-Skates.

"How the hell is the fat bastard keeping up?" - One of the Youngsters, just a common "Rudie", really, screamed at his companions that were slightly ahead of him. he wore a green sweatshirt with hoodie, but that was pushed back, due to the slanted position he was in, to gain more speed, and be more aerodynamic. As it was pushed back it revealed both a pair of red, crimson colored, sunglasses, which kept both the sun out, and added style, as well as a smile, a smirk really, that would cause unfamiliar girls to cross the streets to avoid it. It was the sort of smile a teacher would describe as a "troublemaker smile". He was slightly shorter than the other 3 "Rudies" that were hanging with him, and that caused him to be slower, as his legs weren't as long as theirs. He was, so, in the back.

The youngster who lead the way, and which had a good 12 meters of advance over YoYo, started to shout back. He was not only the leader of this particular outing, but also the leader of the gang of "Rudies" that they belonged to, so, naturally, he should go on ahead. He knew that, if they stopped, they were dead, and while traveling at the speeds provided by them via roller-skates, even more so, roller-skates with "Netrium" batteries, he couldn't look back, lest he hit someone or something, and be stopped. This particular youngster, Beat, wore headphones, with large earbuds, straight out of the 90's, when people walked around with their radio's everywhere, even though the 90's were a long way away. And while he had them pushed down to his neck, so he could best hear his friends, and crew, and so he could be aware of the dangers posed by Captain Onishima and his cronies, it was part of his trademark image. His vision was tinted green, due to the heavy, large, round light green, as mint, sunglasses he wore. Also part of his trademark image. It wasn't as if Tokyo-to, the city that couldn't be found anywhere in a map, was ever so sunny, though the sun did tend to shine through. It was all for the style.

His free flowing chest area of clothing pushed back in the wind, as he speed through, he liked the sensation, and while his yellowish-orange t-shirt and tight fitting pants weren't the best for the kind of thing he did, tagging and spraying and roller-skating through the day, he traded function for image.

"I don't know YoYo" - Beat yelled to the silver tongue teenager, who had used language that wasn't very much appropriate. - "But keep on skating!" - It was all Beat could say as he risked a glance back, two of his members of his group were gaining on him, and YoYo, the third he had brought on this outing, was, though not at the same rate, he too advancing. The speeds at which they were advancing were closing in on faster than an olympic runner could run, and still the captain kept up! It wasn't physically possible, was it? Thankfully the city's habit of warning all the citizens that juvenile taggers had been spotted, and the police was coming, had provided them a slight edge. Sometimes, when alone, Beat would take it to the extreme, literally waiting until they were at around the corner, before jumping and getting out of there, while, when in a group, he had to be the responsible leader and lead them to safety…

He had sort of been distracted by those thoughts, and not focused much on his surroundings much as he advanced. This was familiar turf, places where he'd been for a long while, and he knew them like the back of his hand, so he wasn't very much at the risk of getting hit by a surprise, but still, he had to be aware of his surroundings. A large group of people either sat or stood at one of the terminals, no doubt, waiting for the bus. This was perfect! Or so Beat seemed to think, Beat did a curve towards them, having to lower and steer himself, almost with his hands on the ground, to do the curve with a wide berth. At the speeds they were going, it wasn't easy.

One of the "Rudies", being more far back, had time to cut diagonally to Beat, instead of doing it it in a round way. She just cut, like a straight line, through all the filler, and got to him.

"Beat?" - She inquired. The youngster, the "Rudie", Gum, had quickly approached, having taken Beat's loss of speed as an opportunity to do so. Her tone of voice was soft, and pleasant, but direct, She wasn't there to have mellow conversations, she was there to question.

Beat barely spared a look back. He knew that voice, it had to belong to Gum. Whom else would question him like that?

"I'm going to lose him, if we go through the crowd, people will open space for us, because we can shove and we're on skates, but Captain Onishima will have to get through the crowd with apologies…"

If Beat were thinking he'd be able to see the flaw in his plan, but he was so focused on escaping he hadn't really thought things through. Be as it were, it was up to Gum, the only female in the outing, to put some sense in his head.

"Beat!" - She had no trouble getting to him, seeing as he had started to slow down to enter the crowd. Slamming them at 25 miles per hour was something he didn't want to do. As he probably would have ended up sprawled on the ground, along with the poor fellow he hit. She almost touched his shoulder, as she was roller-skating near him, even going so far as to move an arm in his direction, but then she thought better of it. - "What's stopping Captain Onishima from just circumventing the whole crowd and get us on the other side?"

By that time, the other members of the "Rudie" gang, Tab, and, of course, YoYo, were approaching.

"What's the deal, yo?" - YoYo, asked, seeing them advancing, so slowly in direction of the crowd.

Beat sighed. He hated when Gum was right, and she was right, very, very often, he had to start to think things through, he reminded himself. Trouble was...he never did. Leadership was a thing of instinct, too, but a good head was needed...and he…

He sighed.

"Might as well circumvent the crowd as well, seeing as my plan wouldn't work…" - He gave the stink eye to Gum, who just smiled innocently, still skating, the crowd was now no more than a couple meters away, and they all stopped, to avoid it.

The other kid, and the only one who still hadn't been introduced, Tab, lifted an eyebrow, barely seeable under his cap, that went almost to his eyes. As a sign of idle interest in this so called "plan" of Beat. He, adorned in his blue color scheme, quickly started skating past the crowd.

YoYo, however, was confused.

"Hey...wait up you guys! Oh and Gum! I don't know what circumvent means! What am I supposed to do?"

His friends were already zipping past the crowd and gathering speed, but a few words, picked through the wind, could be heard from Gum.

"Just go around them!"

A single "Oh!" came from YoYo, who started to gather speed. He could hear the police sirens, not too far behind him, and he could swear he could almost smell the smell of Captain Onishima. The smell of sweat, cheap booze and aftershave, and the gunpowder from his gun. That gun was definitively not a squirt gun, and while it was not equipped with real bullets. - Even the Rokkaku group didn't want the bad press of shot teens. - It still hurt like a mother, if hit.

YoYo panted, and there was scrapping, as his roller-skates moved. Sparks of blue and orange adorned the streets and grazed his legs. Though his baggy pants kept him from getting burned. He speed through, propelling himself forward as fast and as quick as he could, his shoulders half slouched, his back half pushed forward. His smile, the one his friends called the slasher smile, was present, but a certain worry was present in his face as well. In the lines around his eyes, in the way he glanced around, like a nervous junkie. He might be a "Rudie", but he had never touched those substances, nobody in the group that Beat leaded, the GG's, touched that stuff. He had made it pretty clear. So the glancing around was from nervosism, and not some loss of control due to to narcotics.

He could see Captain Onishima gaining on him, the fat bastard, if things kept up at this rate, while Beat, Tab and Gum would escape, he would likely not. He had to speed up even more.

YoYo pushed himself as far as he would go. Increasing his traction and accelerating. He made sure that he was in the right position, and that he wasn't losing speed. He was accelerating straight on ahead. The only way he could go faster was if he down to the hills and went down.

YoYo heard something whizzing right past his ear, millimeters from it. At that speed it would have knocked him down if it had hit him in the head. He dared a look back, Captain Onishima had stopped, and was aiming his gun at him.

"So, the fat bastard wants to play hard, huh? Let's go" - He felt his throat tighten. He wasn't a coward or anything, and he had never been hit by one of those bullets...but he knew that, from the welts that they caused, they'd hurt like hell. He had to do something. Captain Onishima was taking aim, right at his back. So YoYo reacted by instinct. Like prey being hunted He started skating in a wavy pattern, so he wasn't hit with any of the bullets Captain Onishima saw fit to shoot out.

Gum's green one piece dress was a far off point in the distance. It wasn't until now that YoYo realised that, while effective at dodging bullets, wandering around in a wavy pattern made it so he wasn't advancing very much. He panted, through roller-skating wasn't as tiring as running, it still made a number on his legs...and back. And, to make matters worse, he couldn't stop now, Captain Onishima had stopped shooting and was now running back in his direction, quickly gaining up on him. He was now less than 20 meters away.

It wasn't until now that YoYo realised that he'd been duped, and that this had been Captain Onishima's plan all along...if he couldn't catch them through the old fashioned way...he'd resort to tricks.

"The fat bastard tricked me! That son of a…" - He couldn't stop to curse, however, he had to roller-skate away. They were now approaching the edges of the terminal, and YoYo knew it to be damn near hopeless, the chances of him getting away, but, still, he had to try.

A large number of sparks flared through the asphalt as YoYo tried accelerating. Sweat ran through his face, and hands, and he knew there was a small chance of him ever catching up to them. If he escaped they'd just have to regroup in their place, the garage. But still he tried.

A sharp, piercing pain in his lower back. It was like a thousand wasp stings, or a hundred tiny electrical shocks, that spread across his body. YoYo didn't lose control of his legs, but he came very close. He screamed to the heavens, a curse word, of course, or he wouldn't have his silver tongue. And he came to a screeching halt against the sidewalk.

He had been panting from tiredness, yes, but those pants? Those were real pants. He was struggling to breathe through the pain. The air did nothing to clear his head from the signals that his lower back was sending it. "It hurts, abort, abort". YoYo had once scrapped off his legs while roller skating, in the asphalt, and that had been nothing in comparison.

He struggled to think. What could have caused such a feeling? Then he realised. Captain Onishima...he was close...too close, all he had to do was aim. He hadn't been weaving and waving anymore. Trying to build up speed.

Speaking of the man himself, he approached YoYo, and quickly cuffed his hands down. Leaving YoYo red faced, on his knees, on the sidewalk, hand behind his back. YoYo realised everything was bright, and he cast a glance at his sunglasses. in the middle of the pavement. They had been knocked out when he had been shot. The light was blinding him, but not as much as the pain.

Captain Onishima pressed one of his knees against one of YoYo's legs, so he wouldn't be able to move.. He was a short man, about the same size as YoYo, actually. So the difference wasn't much in height, but in terms of strength? He had him beat.

"If It were up to me….you and your friends would all be thrown in Juvenile, and we'd throw away the key…" - Captain Onishima spoke. His voice a growl. - "But unfortunately, the city council has other plans."

Captain Onishima lifted up YoYo by his handcuffs, letting him have a moan of discomfort, as he was forced to move his body, and so, his back.

YoYo lifted up, Captain Onishima looked him straight in the eyes, though, loopy as he was from the pain, YoYo could only focus on the stubble that was growing in Captain Onishima's face.

"So...I have a proposition both for you, and your friends… "


	3. Chapter 2

Traffic passed through the other streets as well as the main street of the Shibuya bus terminal as the three of them glanced at it. There were buses, of course, that occasionally stopped and picked up passengers, and there were cabs. Those technically shouldn't be there, but police turned a blind eye. They were part of the Rokkaku conglomerate, as most businesses were. and, as always, the Rokkaku group was above the law. In fact it was the law!. Plus It was a victimless crime, at least in the eyes of the police, unlike tagging the crime that had landed YoYo somewhere with Captain Onishima.

Beat didn't know where YoYo had been taken to, so he had taken to himself to come and look. He had an idea, of course, probably jail, while he waited to be tried, but there was always hope, right? It wasn't really a conscious decision. Of course he wasn't alone. Gum and Tab they too, stood observing, alongside Beat. Though they were in roller-skates, and the sidewalk at which they stood had a (very, very) slight incline, they balanced themselves, so as to not start falling down.

"This was where we last saw him!" - Beat said. His green mint sunglasses hid his look of concern, but the tone was perceptible in his voice. YoYo was part of his gang, part of his crew, but he was also a friend. He kept staring, at the buses, cabs, and the people who stood waiting for the correct bus. He bit the inside of his cheek. Though he had what could be described as a heartbreaker's smile, a handsome one, no doubt about it, that one wasn't showing up. His headphones were lopsided. One of the buds was put on, while the other was off. This was so he could hear any radio update from "Professor K", and still hear Gum's advice or Tab's...well, Tab wouldn't talk, most likely, but still. This outing wasn't one for tagging, so he hadn't brought any tagging spray, he had just brought his good will, and his pocket radio, tuned, of course, to "Jet Set Radio".

"Professor K" had announced what he had already figured out by the time they got to the garage, YoYo had been captured by Captain Onishima. While Beat wasn't one to call Captain Onishima names, he thought himself above that, he found it appropriate, at least in that occasion to call him by the the nickname YoYo had put on the man, "Fat Bastard". They had been so busy escaping, that it wasn't until the three of them had escaped, that they realised the fat bastard had captured YoYo.

And so they sat, uneasily, in their place of residence, slash gang hideout, the place they had simply entitled of "The Garage", restless Beat hadn't been able to be still, he had been pacing the small dirty divisions of the garage, ignoring the music that sprang from the radios when the boom boox, in the room, and the Speakers in the main room started sprouting up the voice of " Professor K". Announcing what he was sure had happened, Gum had certainly too realised, smart as she was, and though he didn't speak, Tab too, must have. Beat felt his heart come at his throat. And he found himself unable to speak. If "Professor K" told it, then it was so. He didn't know what kind of contacts the "Professor" had, but he always seemed to know what kind of stuff happened in the streets of Tokyo-to, simply called Tokyo, minutes after it happened.

Beat half wanted to do the crazy thing and push himself to the Police headquarters, down East, and engage in a jail escape with YoYo. Surely he hadn't been pushed to Juvie yet, right? He had to be tried. They hated "Rudies", but they still tried them.

Yet he knew that that was impossible, and though he was brimming with thousands of feelings...from rage to sadness to guilt, so many of them that he didn't know how to feel himself, he knew that doing such an idiotic thing wasn't the way to go. Still he felt as if if he just sat there, nothing would be accomplished.

Still unable to talk, he put on his skates, once again, and looked at the exit. He couldn't, and wouldn't make the others leave with him. Not after YoYo had been caught. In fact he didn't even speak, partly because he was unable to speak, partly because, even if he was, he wouldn't know what to say.

But they had followed him, and they had eventually wandered out to Shibuya terminal. Beat hadn't planned it, not really, but it was where the wheels of his roller-skates had brought him. He guessed that his mind, or his wheels, whatever he wanted to call it. Just wanted to see it for himself, that YoYo wasn't there. Like if he returned he could stop YoYo from getting captured. As stupid as that sounded.

Beat glanced ahead, once more. Still, they were now here, and he had been focusing on the traffic, as if trying to distract himself. He was their leader. Yet he had lost one of their members. What was up with it?

Glancing into traffic wasn't working. Not really, though the ambient sounds were loud, they were not a real distraction. The radio, "Jet Set Radio", hadn't had any more of "Professor K" ramblings since YoYo capture had been announced. The funky music that it played, though Beat enjoyed it, was no distraction either.

 _What am I going to do?_ \- Beat wondered, yet once more. His last words, that had revealed where they had last seen YoYo, had gathered no response. How could they? Everyone was feeling guilty, in their own way.

He felt a lump in his throat...he didn't want to break down and cry, he really didn't, but it was becoming very hard not to. It was ridiculous! A comedy of errors! And the victim had been poor YoYo. The kid didn't deserve that. The fat bastard…

Gum, who was by Beat's side, came closer to him, as close as was reasonable, with them both being on Roller-Skates on a (very, very) slight, incline. Her face had amongst its features an expression of immense sadness, but amidst it all she tried to smile.

"Beat…" - Gum looked at her friend, and leader. Unlike him, she had no sunglasses to hide her features, so the sadness was obvious. It was a sight that made Beat only feel worse. He avoided her gaze, he couldn't stand to look at her.

Gum, in her green one piece dress, had to control herself not to scream. She blinked, once, twice and she touched him, lightly, on the arm.

Beat glanced at her, yet he refused to meet her eyes. He simply looked at a point somewhere between her chest, and her lips.

"It's not your fault…" - Her voice faltered. She glanced back, now unable to meet his glance. At the ground she stared, and the ground her eyes didn't leave while she spoke. - "I used a fancy word like circumvent...and he got confused…"

Beat took a pause, well, for a beat. he hadn't even realised that Gum would blame herself! Sure, he had sort of figured that everyone would blame themselves, but to place all the blame on her? Gum didn't deserve that! She had done nothing wrong. The only person who had done anything wrong had been, of course him! At least in his opinion.

"No, no, no, no! It wasn't your fault, I was the one who came up with that stupid plan! You saved us from getting all caught!" - Beat gave out a laugh, a bitter, humourless laugh. - "How could you have guessed that YoYo didn't know the word?" - A thin, light smile came to Beat's face, as he remembered Yoy even though it didn't last long, he didn't feel like smiling. - "You never could guess what the little silver tongue kid knows or doesn't know, it's like he browses random libraries."

Maybe Gum was just feeling emotional, maybe a true leader's job is not only to lead, but also to guide, and comfort when down, but Gum came in for the hug. She was slightly shorter, and, as Beat let out an "oomph" of surprise, his hands automatically gripped her back and held her close and tight. It felt...nice. And after what they'd been through, nice was good.

Drafted in his blue color scheme, yet once again, as he hadn't really had time to change, and even if he had, didn't really have a whole lot of other clothes in other colors, Tab could only lift an eyebrow at them. Gum noticed and could only pull out her tongue at him. Though she hadn't really done that at anyone in years, it felt good to be childish sometimes.

But, as with everything, good things, them too have to end. Finally they split up and Beat had to regain leadership once again. He cleared his throat, and looked around. That had done more to clear his head, the hug, than an hour of looking at traffic, like a tool.

"So, I don't know if there is anything we can do for YoYo, really." - He took a look at Gum's face, and at Tab's face. Tab looked upset, mad, the one eyebrow that was visible over his cap furrowed. While Gum just seemed upset and depressed. - He probably looked the same way now that he thought about it. He felt pretty bad. Too. There was another weight in his throat, and he felt that he could go for another one of Gum's hugs, even though he had split from her not 30 seconds ago. - " ...I know, but what can we do? Unless they set him up on a low bail...we're not exactly sleeping in money…" - Beat shrugged his shoulders apologetically. - "Or better yet, they release him as is, without anything else…"

Every one of them glanced around, hopeful. They say hope is the last thing to go...and it was true. But YoYo was nowhere to be found.

"So...we either stop tagging altogether...or we do it, but we are more careful…" - Beat glanced at the other two members of the group. The only two that were left. Now that YoYo was gone...

"I thought we were being careful enough...but clearly we weren't...so, I can't lose the two of you, I just can't." - His voice became weaker and he looked at the two of them pitifully. - "If you want to quit I totally understand...to be totally honest, I half feel like quitting right now."

Tab was the first to react, violently shaking his head from side to side, as if saying that no, he wouldn't quit Gum followed not soon after, she expressing herself in words.

"Of course I won't stop tagging, right? We're in this together right? What kind of quitter talk is that?t"

Beat couldn't help but smile. Though he somehow still didn't feel like it.

"Thanks, guys." - He put his fist up to Gum's, and Tab's put his fist up to his, mirroring what they had seen in some kind of tv series, in the old tv they had in the garage. - "I guess that's it then...we'll keep on tagging, we'll just have to be more careful, right?"

"Yo, what about me?"

The three of them nearly fell out of their skates, which would be serious. That voice...it couldn't be!

"YoYo!" - Beat nearly jumped the smaller guy, and crushed him. Falling on top of him. - "How did you get out?"

"Whoah, whoah, whoah watch the back!" - YoYo screamed, as Beat started crushing him in a bear hug. While he had been given some painkillers, it still stung a bit, and it had started to welt and redden. It'd be a bad bruise in the morning.

"Sorry, but answer the question, I'm sure we're all dying to know, seriously!" - Beat gestured towards Tab and Gum, who both nodded.

"Ah they couldn't handle me…though they took my skates, you know how weird it is to walk in regular trainers?" - Though his words were easy going, YoYo's trademark smirk was shaken, and if people thought that his slasher troublemaker smile was creepy, when it was shaking it was 10 times so. In fact his whole frame was shaking. YoYo motioned for them to follow him.

"I wouldn't recommend us going to the garage….tracking ankle monitor. - He stopped and lifted his baggy pants, revealing an electronic ankle monitor. - "But I kind of need to walk around here, to pick up something...it should be around here…"

They walked around for about 5 minutes, until YoYo found what he was looking for, his red, tinted, sunglasses. Though he was presented with a problem…

"Shit!" Cracked! No worries, I'll just nick some, some other time."

"We'll get you some new sunglasses, as well as some new skates, don't worry...we'll hang around in the streets in no time!"

"Yeah…" - YoYo's gaze drifted away.

Despite the sunglasses being cracked, he still put them on his face. As quickly as he could. Beat noticed that he wasn't walking straight. Though he wasn't limping. It was a back problem.

"Was that where you got…" - He said, pointing towards a spot where dried blood had spotted the Sweatshirt.

"Yup, hurt like hell too!" - He nodded. He finally stopped, near a rail. His friends all supported themselves on it with their backs. He considered it, thought it better and just stood still.

"Listen, Captain Onishima set me free on one condition...and you won't like it. In fact I myself didn't like it...but I need your help guys. it's a bull condition, and it's hell...but…"

His smile shook even more, it was almost like it was moving up and down.

"How would you like to go to school?"


	4. Chapter 3

There was a pause as Beat glanced at YoYo. The ginger haired boy wasn't really serious was he? Them? Go to school? It wasn't as if any of them...well, except perhaps Gum, was ever going to do well in it? Right? Thoughts like that one flew by his mind at a serious speed, as he considered the idea. In his mind, Beat just couldn't see himself sitting down and listening to a teacher, for hours, upon hours, upon hours. And what was there but to learn to it? Was this the brand new idea that the Rokkaku conglomerate had to control them?

In his back Beat could feel the hard surface of the round railing, the one he would normally use to grind, against his back. The material of his loose, yellow t-shirt, with the japanese symbols that meant whatever. - He had been schooled way back, before giving it all up, after realising he hated it, so he didn't really care for reading. - wasn't as loose as it once was, as it had glued itself to Beat's back, in the backside , due to the way he sweated, the railing doing a fine way of pressing it, and he could feel it against his back, just at roughly the same spot where YoYo would have been shot.

The pressure, and he was tall, though not as tall as Tab, was uncomfortable, so much so, that he had to use his arms as leverage, to get some more semblance of comfort. Though he knew that he shouldn't complain, as, compared to what YoYo had gone through, that had been nothing. Still...if just a slight pressure caused him such discomfort, a rubber, or salt, or whatever the heck kind of bullet Captain Onishima, the fat bastard, used in his gun, must have hurt like….Beat couldn't even imagine it. And the man had the upper hand on them, having placed a tracking ankle monitor on YoYo. They couldn't exactly run away.

Well...technically they could, just leave YoYo in the dust and run, despite the inevitable vocal protests by Gum, and the silent opposition by Tab, he was still the leader, and Beat had thought of the idea….one of the 300 ideas that had run through his mind, but that had been easily dismissed. One look at YoYo's eyes, and he had given it up. He couldn't - Wouldn't do that to the kid. He was his friend, plus the GG never left anyone behind. It was like a sappy kid's moral, but it was the truth. Or hadn't they come and looked back for YoYo? Even if it was mostly useless?

Beat did his best to swallow the fact that 15 minutes earlier he was just about ready to give up on YoYo. - _Those were different circumstances._ \- He told himself. While he had almost been ready to storm the Bastille, load up his skates and kick up Captain Onishima in the jaw, akin to an american comic he had once seen, that wouldn't be effective. Luckily the situation had resolved itself, mostly by its own. Under….certain setbacks, like this school deal.

Beat looked at YoYo. The boy was shaking like loose leaves, and this time it couldn't be blamed on an incline when on skates. The boy was on trainers, not on roller-skates! He had even commented on it. No, it was clear he was nervous. It was clear that if the GG didn't accept the deal it would be him that would be hit with the consequences, those things, ankle monitors, the ones like the one at his ankle were designed to be hard to remove! They couldn't exactly pry it open with their fingernails, and the few tools they had were probably insufficient towards the job. YoYo needed them to accept the deal that the city council proposed, and he was looking at Beat, as Beat was the leader.

Beat was the head of the GG. He had been created them, and, while it was arguable if he had started doing this earlier than Gum and Tab, for they didn't keep an exact date of the day they had started tagging, and they had roller-skated since their days as children, wandering around, though not together, he, however, didn't feel very much like a leader right now. He had not only lost YoYo due to not letting him keep up with him, and not helping him when he struggled, he had screwed up and gotten him only because Captain Onishima, or his superiors - at this point Beat didn't really care who. - had made a power play.

"School you say!" - Beat whistled, he still wasn't so sure about this, and he figured that it wasn't his decision to make, after all, when it came to deciding where the rest of the GG spent most of their lives, it was up to them, but, as it came to him, he had got to say something. He was deep in his thoughts, sure, but he could still notice that YoYo was a tad uncomfortable and nervous, and he hoped that by talking, he'd defuse the situation a little bit. Maybe. Beat thought that part of being a leader was that, and, much as getting to comfort Gum, he needed to be there for YoYo. If that meant talking and acting slightly silly, then so be it. Though he had to admit, the close hugs with Gum were much more pleasant. But he was doing this for YoYo, not for himself, so. YoYo who had a funny face on. He hadn't really whistled like that in years, girls weren't too keen on it, and some of them had even joined the love Shockers, another group of "Rudies", made mostly of females, and the songs he heard on the radio, "Jet Set radio", weren't the kind you tended to whistle along to. Too fast paced, too funky, too rhythmic.

Speaking of the radio, ever since YoYo had appeared, Beat had turned the radio down almost to a point where it couldn't be heard, and he had put his headphones by his neck. All so he could hear YoYo, and the rest of his crew. He was the image of someone who was relaxed, and, who was, in the youth lingo of old "Chilling". Though those words had never been voiced by the young man, maybe by his father. He just heard. His green mint sunglasses, round lenses, already mentioned, hid his eyes, but they rested squarely and surely on YoYo. He was the main focus on his attention. Whether that was good or bad, remained to be seen.

"Yeah… " - YoYo's eyes, that were hidden behind his cracked sunglasses, focused intently on Beat, trying to gather what his reaction to his request would be. Though he tried smiling, and being easy-going, his smile had turned into a grimace. A grimace of pain. It turned out that, even when taking painkillers, shaking in nervousness, does a number on your back. - "Really Beat, I really need this, I wouldn't ask otherwise!" - The pain - it was getting worse. - Made YoYo clump up his hands into fists. Beat said something but he didn't really hear it too well. Whatever it was it didn't sound like a definitive "Yes", or even a definitive "No". YoYo wanted to scream, but he was aware that that would only worry his friends.

"You ok there, buddy?" - Beat glanced down at YoYo. His green sweatshirt had had the hoodie pulled back by all the shaking, and he could see small droplets of sweat starting to form around the basis of YoYo's forehead. Though that really didn't make much sense, unless he was getting sick, as the sun was getting down, painting Shibuya, a district of Tokyo, orange. YoYo's face contorted in all sort of grimaces and his smile contorted in all sort of downward facing shapes. His face was all sorts of twisted. And the worse part was...all the twisting he did was causing an even larger strain on his back.

"Yeah...I mean no...I mean of course… " - "A particularly hard sprain hit in right in the back, on the spot where he had been causing him to falter and to start sweating harder, as well as for him to drop down on his knee. - "Argh….I mean shiiii…."

"Okay!" - Beat's voice cracked, which would be funny for YoYo and the rest of them if they hadn't just become so worried with YoYo, or, in his own case, with his pain. Beat himself didn't notice it, and even if he had he would have paid it no mind, - "There's a lady here! Let's take care of you!"

Gum sent him a look that just screamed, "You've just offended me", this wasn't the first, and it surely wouldn't be the last time she would hear YoYo using that kind of language. They shared a house, for heaven's sake.

"Sh….sorry, man, but you can't….take me to…" -YoYo's breath was labored, he had to pause often to try and regain his breath, and sometimes he had to stop altogether to bit his cheek so as not to scream a curse word. One of the heavy ones, at least. The last few words were spoken in such a low tone that it was hard for them to hear it. It was almost like the panting and wheezing were giving place to nothing at all. But he could still talk. The problem wasn't his lungs. It was the pain in his back. - "The garage….ankle monitor, remember?"

YoYo couldn't hold himself still anymore he fell to the ground. Beat was too stunned to do anything, even grab him, though he was the closest to him. YoYo hit the ground and started shaking. Almost like he was having a seizure. Sweat and tears now ran freely through his face. Beat, past his initial shock quickly moved in to help. But Gum and Tab were already there. Gum gave out another look at Beat, the second of such ones in about 5 minutes.

Amidst his thrashing around, as he had fallen on the ground, it was hard not to remember, the protuberance that stuck out like a sore thumb. Even with his three friends there, YoYo couldn't help but not stop. The hurting was immense. Gum had turned him on his back, so that she could see the wound, and she was starting to see why the situation had delved into such a thing.

Though she really couldn't get close enough to treat him - not that was anything much she could do, she had had some first aid training, but the purple blotch looked ugly, and not just in a health sense. - He indicated to the two boys that they should hold his legs and arms. So she could do something. Anything to help the poor guy.

Beat wanted to help, of course, but there was an extra incline of motivation that led him to be the first to move that time. He went for the arms, getting hit in the nose and his sunglasses tossed to the other side of the pavement. Luckily at that time not many people were walking there, which was just as well as YoYo was swearing with all that he had. If his face wasn't directed at the pavement, the things he said would offend every single one of them.

Not that Beat, blamed him, that stuff looked painful, he wouldn't want to be in his position, and a very small, very insistent part of him insisted that Gum was only in that position to begin with because someone, no bets for guessing whom, had failed to do their job correctly. And it hadn't been Gum, no matter how much she wanted to blame herself for it.

He blinked at the light, without his sunglasses everything seemed...off, like put through some sort of filter, even though this was could the place where the bullet had hit, and Gum carefully maneuvering it, to approach it and try to take care of it. Further ahead, from his point of view, he could see Tab, holding both of YoYo's legs in the air. Stopping his struggle. And he did struggle. Though he was unable to move his legs, due to them being held by Tab. Tab was groaning. The effort to resist the struggle by the energetic silver-tongued red haired kid was great, and Beat was glad he hadn't taken the legs. That groan was the first noise, except the loud breathing noises he had heard Tab do all day. Not much made Tab make noise.

He finally got ahold of the arms. That floundered around like if YoYo was a fish. The kid was now totally immobilized. He wanted to give her a thumbs up to indicate her that it was ok to go ahead, but he didn't trust himself to do it. He realised why Tab had groaned, he had started sweating again. This was hard!

There was a loud shrill scream, as YoYo screamed like a girl, an even higher pitched girl than Gum could be capable of producing. Beat had to admit, it was impressive. His hairs at the back of his neck had stood out.

He winced as Gum pressed into the sore spot. From his view it looked like the touches were gentle, light, soft, but still, they must be torture to YoYo...only, to his surprise, as she pressed on, he started screaming less and less. In fact, her soothing voice, telling him it'd be over soon and it'd all be ok, wasn't really needed by the end. He was almost crashing and falling asleep.

"There." - Gum, lifted herself from the ground and patted her green one piece dress, letting out a sigh of relief to see YoYo visibly relaxed. - "That should anesthetize the area for a bit...if he's careful he'll be alright…"

Beat put out a hand to help YoYo lift himself up. Not only was the boy's face sweaty, but so were his hands. Both of them. YoYo smiled at Beat, and at the rest of them, a thankful look on his face.

"Thanks, Beat, Gum, Tab!" - He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, though, seeing as he was sweating all over, that didn't have the effect he seemed to want. He considered the problem, before simply using his sleeve to wipe himself.

"And don't you forget it next time you call me a bitch!" - Gum said, giving him the stink eye. Though she knew that it was due to the pains and she hadn't taken it very seriously, she saw fit to remind him.

YoYo looked at her apologetically shrugging his shoulders- "Well...I'm filthy. And I can't exactly go to the garage with you guys...I have to return to the fat bastard with your answer…" - He saw Beat hesitate and go to grab his arm. And he dodged it, by taking a step back, causing Beat to nearly fall off his skates. - Don't worry. if you guys say yes, they'll release me…" - His gaze drifted away. - "'course, if you say no...or say yes then we don't show, they'll capture us and it won't be pretty" - He started to shake before stopping, remembering the pains that had caused him minutes earlier. - "So what do you say, yo?"

Beat put his hand in his direction, so as he could shook him. - "I can't promise or speak for the others, I won't force them to do anything, but of course I will help you, dude."

The other two quickly agreed. After they had witnessed the effects of their attempted running and leaving of YoYo behind, even if not on purpose, that didn't well with them.

"Great!" - YoYo bent down and picked up Beat's sunglasses, handing them down to him. - "I'll go down to the garage later, with directions. I'll see you later!"

As YoYo started walking into the horizont Gum couldn't help but call out "Make sure they take you to the hospital!"

"That bad, huh?" - Though it wasn't visible, under the sunglasses, which thankfully, unlike YoYo's hadn't cracked, Beat lifted an eyebrow.

"That could get ugly" - She told them, slightly lower, so that YoYo, who was slightly ahead, already, didn't hear. - "I just didn't want to worry him. "

Beat sighed, he felt like he was 30, and he was only 17! What did that mean for him? Seriously, he felt old. And tired.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?"

Tab shrugged. Pulling his shoulders up and down. Whatever the heck kind of situation it was they had gotten into, it wasn't worth being verbose about.

Together the three of them skated into the garage slash their "Rudie" hideout. Concern for YoYo, themselves, and what would happen in the near future always present.


	5. Chapter 4

Beat had finally sat down after what had seemed like an endless day. What had started out as a simple tagging trip. - They had had many of them, so many that tagging spots were starting to become sparse, and they had to wait until the city council cleaned some of the walls up. - had turned out into quite a journey. Between going back for what seemed like ages, but was only an hour, getting YoYo for fleeting moments, and agreeing to - and he winced, though it was thankfully covered by his green mint sunglasses - school he felt tired.

Still, he guessed that costing the city of Tokyo (To) thousands, if not millions, being, not to brag, but one of the most effective "Rudies" gangs around, tagging whatever surface they could get their grubby tagging cans nearby, and spraying it, had to have consequences. And quite clearly captain Onishima was not above using dirty tactics. While technically not illegal - Beat knew it, after all, Captain Onishima seemed like one of those men who dared not crossed the law, not to mention the Rokkaku conglomerate's will, cruel as he might be. - It still seemed out of order to him that he had shot YoYo. Even if from a distance, and even if (thankfully) not with a real bullet, Beat had seen first hand how much that bullet had hurt the smaller teen.

YoYo had promised to return, if they had agreed to it. And it had been that promise, that sure conviction in YoYo's voice, now more easy going after they had agreed to it, that had made Beat let him go. Not that he could have stopped him, YoYo was fast. - Though clearly not fast enough - and he had gotten ahead of Beat, not to be taken ahold by the arm. And it had been in that moment, through the slightly visible eyes that were discernible through the crack in his sunglasses, that Beat had seen the fear in his eyes.

YoYo had been acting nervously since the moment they had met again, and the little moment, the slight episode he had had, and which had made everyone worry dead sick for him, had only made it worse, but Beat hadn't expected to see fear on his face. Never fear.

YoYo had always been a lot of things...but above all, he had always been defiant to the authority. Heck, they always were. Their tagging? Just one of the ways they did it.

Beat had sort of expected that if YoYo were ever caught he would swiftly defy Captain Onishima, the "Fat Bastard" as he called him, and his cronies. Replying to their every attempt at interrogation with a bunch of swears, or insults directed at them or their mothers. Crude, yes, but crude was the definition of YoYo. Beat didn't know where the kid. - And he used kid in an affectionate manner, he still thought the teen deserved an enormous amount of respect. - had picked up such language, but it didn't matter to him very much.

It had become clear, however, that that hadn't been how things had gone at all. If he had been placed in an interrogation room even. - Beat certainly hoped they had treated the bullet wound they had caused him first, if so. - he had most likely been shoved in there, chained up, by Captain Onishima, and forced to talk. YoYo might have force of will, he might have the witty retort right in his tongue. But he was tired, he was hurt, and - This was pure speculation of Beat's part, of course, but he could easily imagine Captain Onishima doing it. - He was being pressured and pressured.

It would certainly take a whole lot of pressure to make it so that YoYo had that air of fear. Beat knew it first hand. So he had agreed. It had been part of it, of course, besides, the other fact that it didn't sit right with him.

But a lot of things didn't sit right with him. - He shook his head, his headphones were already off, for the night, and Jet Set Radio was repeating the same tunes, and had been for hours, they were playing on the boombox and radio, though turned to a lower volume. Professor K had likely gone on to do whatever, and left it on auto pilot, and so did Beat's mind run, on autopilot. He couldn't go to bed yet, though, he had to wait on YoYo. - And the things that did sit right with him, like tagging, and defying authority, like all young people eventually do, and he had been doing for who knew how long - Well, he didn't know how long he could keep them going. To be totally honest. - But there was one thing he knew he had to know to sit right with him. - helping YoYo get out of this mess.

And that was why, though he was tired, and had even removed his headphones, his sunglasses stayed. - He had never been able to sleep with them on, and so they, thankfully not cracked. - Kept him awake. He had promised YoYo he'd be there to wait on instructions to go to school, after all.

He let out a long sigh. Glad that Gum and Tab had already gone to bed. - Not together, but separately. - When he had been part of the question of what they had gone and gotten themselves into, he had had no real answer, in fact, none of them had had the answer. But the more he thought about it, the more it seemed, to him at least, like a bad idea.

But he couldn't express those thoughts or feelings out loud, or otherwise the team's moral - though it was a stretch to call the 3 people in the garage currently, a team. - would sink even further. And it was his job as the team of "Rudies" de facto leader to keep moral up. At least he thought it was, free leadership lessons never focused on how to keep and maintain a "Rudie" group, it was like it was illegal or something.

Holding out a small smile at the thought, Beat couldn't help but be distracted further by his thoughts. It wasn't like YoYo had shown up yet, and the other two members of the group were already in bed. Gum, no doubt, with an used book or magazine she had found by the dumps in hand, trying to decipher the letters over the soft glow of the street lights. - She had purposely put the bed in a spot where the light reached it, over the window, so she could do precisely that. - And Tab? Tab was probably lost in his thoughts, same as in the day, only difference being the illumination outside.

So he couldn't exactly get to either of them to talk. He knew that Tab wouldn't reply, most likely, and Gum would throw him airs of annoyance, her eyes pointing at the foul smelling clump of paper she held in her hands as if telling him that she was trying to read. She had done it before, and she had no qualms about doing it again. Beat could keep pushing her, until she too let out a sigh and talked to him, but he thought it over, and it wasn't worth it. Not really, when he was sure the other

boy, YoYo, would show up soon.

The garage didn't have the most enchanting of views to the outside. The few windows it had, and there weren't many, pointed in the directions of the streets. Sure, in a city like Tokyo To it'd be hard to get a view of water, but the view still left a lot to be desired. Dirty, trash cluttered streets, the "Garage" perched up and pointing downwards so that if Beat were to look at it through the windows it'd look like he was going to fall.

Though they mostly referred to it as the garage. - Well, he, Gum and YoYo, Tab hadn't real cast his vote into the name. - There was a more to the place than the small room where they stored their skates. There was an upper floor, where they mostly slept, Gum closest to the window, they had a small bathroom, with a shower, of course, and there was a living room, where the radio constantly played Jet Set Radio. It was from there where Beat stared at the streets, through the window. He could feel the even surface of the floor in his feet. After a tiring day, he had removed the skates, them having been relegated to the the entry hall downstairs due to his feet stink. So now he stood on his socks, looking. Not like he had anything better to do.

He had figured that, as soon as YoYo appeared down below, in the street, he'd run and get the door - to which he carried the keys. - opened. Skating towards there, at night, wasn't easy. Though the metropolitan city pretended otherwise, areas that weren't as touristy. - Like the one where they resided, for instance. - Had their fair share of potholes, and other such inconveniences, that were nothing to someone who was walking, slowly, even at night, but, to someone like YoYo, who liked to skate, and roller-skate as fast as his skates would allow, they presented a danger, at least in such light conditions.

When YoYo appeared at the end of the street however, being lighted, however briefly by the street lamp at the end of it, one of the only ones who worked at that particular street, he didn't carry his skates, neither wrapped around his feet, nor in his hand. Beat briefly wondered about that. - What could have happened to them? - Before remembering what YoYo had said. He chided himself. - He should pay more attention!

Seeing that YoYo was approaching, Beat's plan of joining his friend, and fellow member of the "Rudie" gang, the GG's was abandoned, however not consciously, by the way he stared at the way he approached.

YoYo...wasn't in good shape. Though he was admittedly in better shape than the one he had left when Beat had last seen him, at sundown. He walked, slowly, in the direction of the garage, his back straightened, almost unnaturally so. His smile, though Beat was still too far away to see it, was one of pure determination, as he advanced. One of his arms moved almost prothestically, robotically, like it had been stiffened, while the other one was hanging freely from his sweat-shirt. Then, as he got closer, other things got apparent. His sunglasses. - The sunglasses that Captain Onishima had cracked against the streets of the bus terminal. - Were slightly askew, and his smile, the previously mentioned smile of determination, had shadows creeping in. And those weren't the shadows that were brought from the streets lights he passed. No, those shadows - flashes really. - of whatever they were spotted the determination

And YoYo's smile had always been creepy since Beat had met him, that smirk of confidence, that slasher smile akin to the one a clown would have before cutting into you in your nightmares….and when he was nervous, and shaking all over that smile had become even creepier. But this...this was something else.

Shaking his head, and telling himself that he was only imagining whatever kind of stuff was going on with the younger boy's smile, Beat finally broke free of his observation. - Which had happened, luckily, because YoYo was staring upwards, almost being forced to do so by the way his back was straight. - when YoYo was merely meters away from the door. He quickly rushed in to open the door, which was heavy, and usually took all his strength to push it. Sometimes Tab and YoYo helped open it, but he didn't feel like YoYo would be much help today.

He passed through the room where he had left his skates, which still had a pungent odor. - Hopefully YoYo wouldn't comment on it. - And he started pushing the door open. Why had they closed it down when they knew that YoYo was coming? Whose idea had that been?

Then he remembered. It had been his, and the vocal complaint he was about to do was shut down by that.

As he finally got the door open, and he was blasted by a cold blast of night air. Something which he hadn't been expecting. - And by YoYo's greeting. The door had taken so long to open (though not that long, about 2 to 3 minutes), that YoYo had finally reached his destination and had heard the scraping of the door being pushed.

Now that they were close together, both Beat and YoYo, they stared at one another. Beat stared at YoYo's smile, looking for that shadow. Of what, he wasn't so sure, exactly, but he didn't seem to find anything. YoYo's sunglasses were still askew, one of the cracked lenses, pushed below his eye, while the other was kept in place. Beat smiled and moved in to adjust it.

"Thanks, dude, It was really annoying me." - YoYo's smirk grew increasingly bigger until it was his trademark face length one, from one corner to the next. - "I'd have put them on correctly myself, but ya know…" - He pushed his chin downwards, and so also did his eyes, though those weren't visible. Beat could see that the whole area where he'd been hit, plus the front, was still. Almost as if his breaths didn't affect it. - "I was patched up. Can't move my left arm for sh…"

"Ok then!" - Beat's voice didn't crack this time, partly because he wasn't really talking too loudly this time, like last time he had stopped YoYo from uttering one of his swears. - "I got the idea. You're welcome…" - He moved alongside him as YoYo's nose crumpled at the smell of Beat's foot B.O. - "What are the instructions the fat bast….I mean captain Onishima has for us?" - He chastised himself. He had slipped, he couldn't resort to name calling, like he was YoYo. He had to lead them.

YoYo's smile grew even bigger if that was possible.

"You're learning! Anyway we're supposed to go in tomorrow at 7 and in the first day they'll give us all the supplies, I'll direct you there.."

Beat whistled.

"Whoah, they're really going at it! Giving us free stuff."

YoYo half shrugged, only one of his shoulders moving any considerate amount of movement.

"Cheaper than having to pay to repaint every week, I'd think...anyway, I'm going to bed." - He turned around, and stared at Beat, for a moment Beat could have sworn that his eyes were filled with tears, though that was clearly not the case, right? If the kid, or teen, YoYo had barely cried out while in pain, while would he cry now?

"Thank you...I know none of you had to do it...but you did and…I can't hug you, not really" - He pointed with his one good arm at the general patched up area. - "But...ya know" - YoYo smiled, embarrassed to having given in to his emotions. He closed his eyes once or twice, blinking in the solitary tears that had stuck to the corners of his eyes, before continuing to smile.

Beat had had his doubts about his leadership skills over that day, he had had them 5 or 6 times, and yet, those words, those thankful words from YoYo, brought a small smile to his face. He might not be the greatest leader. - He was reminded of the stink eye Gum had launched him. - But clearly, to YoYo, he was at least decent at it.

He waved him off, too choked up for words.

"I'll wake you" - YoYo said, as Beat was left, only the buzzing of Jet Set Radio's night tunes as his background.


	6. Chapter 5

It always had struck him as odd how the city of Tokyo (to) hadn't really invested in a lot of ways to stop them from trying to, and tagging the city. Sure they had the police force, led by Captain Onishima, or, as YoYo put him "The fat bastard with a quick trigger", which had turned out to be truer than any of them had expected, as YoYo would be quick to reminisce about, with half a dozen curse words thrown in for good measure, but the Rokkaku Conglomerate, and the City Council hadn't, yet, so far, really invested top money into any system for stopping the tagging.

Part of the problem - Beat sorta divulged the information to himself, murmuring it as he benched over to turn off the pirate statio Jet Set radio, as he saw no point in sleeping with it on. - was that they were mostly minors. He and Tab were 17 and could be tried as adults, but a variety of political and social reasons ensured that, until they turned 18. - And Beat smirked as he pulled the knobs, this radio being one they had gotten at a discount for how old it was, most nowadays not having that little feature. - They wouldn't be tried as that. They were getting there, but not yet. So the city was running out of options. Though it mostly governed itself, it couldn't be found on any map, after all, this had been their option, or so it seemed. To build a school.

The music had finally been turned down, and Beat pushed the button so that the radio turned itself out. Having finally put an end to his day he felt tired. Even tired than before. And he just wanted to sleep. He was going to have to bother the other 3 to go to into his bed, but if he treaded carefully enough...as slowly and as carefully as he could...Beat stood at the doorway, looking at the three of them, the gang of "Rudies" as they were. His group, the "GG".

YoYo was already fast asleep, his arms still, Beat couldn't imagine the position being comfortable but he guessed YoYo had made it work, somehow. He obviously couldn't be on his side so he sat on his back, and the snoring was proof enough of that. Gum was against the light, her eyelids shut, in her hands she held the pages of whatever kind of novel she had gotten the previous day. Or maybe it was an old favorite of hers, Beat didn't know. It was half dropped, and he expected it to drop at some point during the night.

Tab was silent, his face against the wall, his bonnet off, revealing his hair. But then what else was new? Beat's eyes felt heavy and he felt like just dropping.

He lifted his legs, to push past the three of them, gently avoiding Gum, that had a soft smile on her face, whatever she was smiling about, and YoYo, who looked troubled, something he didn't blame him for. He finally got to his spot.

"Well." - He spoke, more to himself than to anyone else, since nobody was around to hear him, and they were all asleep anyway. He removed his sunglasses, putting them by his side, and being careful so as not to roll over on his sleep and crush them. He pushed a cover to cover himself. - "Tomorrow's a new day, let's see what it brings…"

:  
:

It wasn't the light of the day, the sun creeping in, that woke him up, though the sun did creep in and tickle his face, somewhat violently. It was even worse for Gum and YoYo, who were closer to the window. In fact it was YoYo, who had promised to wake them up, that was the first to wake up and get up.

Beat had his eyes closed, and wasn't sure of how the boy got up without using both arms, since he had one of his arms and chest and lower back area patched up, but the fact was, he did manage to do it. Somehow. And he did wake the others up, or, at least, Beat. In his own YoYo way.

"Hey...wake up!" - He didn't have the heart to full on kick him in the nuts, or chest, because that'd hurt, and he didn't have the space, but, really...he gently tapped his foot on the older teen's leg. Beat grumbled something or other and turned the other way.

"Hey, man, damn! I'm tired as well, but we got to go, c'mon!" - YoYo's voice came up a tad higher. He put up a foot to Beat's head, leaving him to scrunch up his nose. Same as the skates downstairs, his feet B.O was noticeable.

"Alright, alright, I'm up! Jeez!" - He turned to call Tab but he noticed he was already pushing his bonnet to his head, a thin smile forming on his lips. Beat grabbed the sunglasses from the floor and put them on, seeing the world in his filtered, pure view, as he liked it.

"I'll call Gum, you guys check if we have anything for food…" - Tab nodded and went to check, YoYo following, a smirk upon his face. Meanwhile Beat approached Gum, and the stack of papers on the ground, where the novel had fallen on the middle of the night, and he talked to her.

"Hey…"

She batted her eyelashes at him, as she woke up, she shook her head. There weren't a lot of people that looked good just as they woke up, but in Beat's opinion, YoYo was one of those few people that did. She looked extremely good. Not that it mattered, that wouldn't affect anything.

"Hey Beat...Is it time?" -She started yawning before putting a hand in front of it to try and hide it, though it was clear from the sound it was making what she was doing.

Beat thought it to be the cutest. But he didn't say anything- He just pushed his head up and down and motioned for her to come. Closing the door so she could dress as they prepared the food-

Or whatever passed for food in the Garage so to speak, it turned out they didn't have much, they didn't think much about it, but they weren't very well feed. It was why they were so slim. Still it was enough for a few parcels of stale bread taken in between them, and that was what mattered. Neither of them felt like facing the unknown with an empty stomach...it wasn't much, but it did help.

"Skates?" - Beat vaguely pointed in the direction of the skates, where the air had cleared out and those were. Downstairs.

"Nah, actually, let's show that fat bastard we can act all good and proper. For now at least." - YoYo grumbled, like that idea didn't please him, but the idea of a bullet up his back again pleased him even less, so he suggested that to Beat. - "Let's get on trainers. I don't have skates anyway!"

"Well it's not like it's going to be Captain Onishima that it's going to be teaching the classes, I don't think" - As always Gum, that had already put her shoes on, was the voice of reason. - "But I'm trying to keep positive! I really think that this could be a learning experience for the lot of us!"

Beat snickered.

"Yeah, obviously it's going to be a learning experience, a learning experience in how to get bored! Really, who wants to sit in a room for hours upon hours listening to someone dabble for subjects that matter to no one?"

YoYo whistled in appreciation, he couldn't help but agree with Beat.

"You guys are so immature!" - She scoffed. Pushing her hands in the air. Seeing as she already had her shoes on she moved towards the door. Away from the boys, to where Tab already was, opening up the door. "Thanks Tab."

"Wha...what did we say?" - YoYo looked at Beat who just shrugged, like he had no idea. He guessed he had laid it a bit thick there.

"Anyway, so where is this school, YoYo? Hopefully it's not too far…" - At the mention of school, Tab and Gum had rejoined them, through the door was already open, and the air, though not as cold as last night, was chilling their backs. Every single one of them wanted to know where they would be going. It was important in a way.

"Nah it's not too far. I guess the bastards were afraid we'd run off if it was too far, it's in the center, C'mon I'll show you…"

Beat smiled, that pretty boy smile he had, and which would melt hearts, but which did nothing on Gum, which was still annoyed at him. He shrugged, he guessed he had to give her time, and space, before things could go back to their friendship.

"I just think there's a silver lining to everything...we're getting free education, that's all!" - She murmured. If Beat heard her, he made no mention, probably due to his new policy of giving her space, but that only seemed to annoy her even further.

As they got their trainers on (all except Gum who already had hers on), they got ready to leave. Making sure they had everything they would ever need for school...except school supplies as YoYo had claimed, and explained that those would be supplied for free. "Cheaper than paying to repaint the walls every week" - Gum said, a comment that was a mirror of an earlier comment done by one of the boys.

As they, well, most of them talked and chit chatted about general things, the door having closed behind them when Beat pulled it, they couldn't help but be faced with the prospect that they were about to face the unknown. That they didn't know what to expect. Sure they were smart, and would do well if they didn't lose their temper, if nothing went wrong, but what was there to say that nothing would go? What was there to…

A whole load of "Whats" and "Ifs" tightened up Beat's hearts. Last night's little chat with YoYo had reinforced his leadership skills, or, at least, his faith on them, but was he really strong enough to do this? He really didn't have a choice did he? Because if he tried to turn tail and run, like a bad leader would, one of his team members would suffer the consequences, and he didn't want that. No, he would do this for YoYo.

He had already decided this. A lot, actually, but reinforcing the decision was always good. And even if things went wrong - And he hoped they didn't but if they did, which they could, something might happen. - Then they would face them together as a team.

Yeah it sounded straight of a bad cheesy kid's flick, but it was the truth. He vaguely took note of the path that they were taking, It wasn't too bad, and he guessed it did make sense for it to be the zone that had been under construction. He remembered he had even commented on with them that something big must have been being built there.

Well...now they knew.

Beat put a hand to his ear, he missed his headphones, and jet set radio, YoYo had brought on a little radio and small, discreet earbuds that dug into his ears, something that may not even notice, but all he had was his headphones. And those wouldn't be allowed, definitively. It was odd, having the two ears free of the chatter of the high-tech music, or the chatter of "Professor K".

Finally, they arrived.

They started to gawk at the building before approaching. Sure the whole city of Tokyo (to) was modern but this...this was a whole different thing. The whole thing stood out, the grated fences, the shiny white metal, reflecting the sun, and that seemed to increase the temperature just from being near it, the glass...it stood 3 floors tall, and several hundred meters wide, and the kids stared. It was enormous.

Sure the Skyscraper district had bigger buildings, but this, this was new, and this was built for them, because they had been such nuisances, for a few moments, they felt like big shots. Even if it meant they had caused too much trouble.

"Shall we go in?"

Too stunned to speak, or reply to YoYo's mocking question, he who was the only one who had already seen the building, Beat could only nod as they advanced towards it.


	7. Chapter 6

Beat was the first to advance. He felt partially responsible for the situation at where the four of them stood at. After all if he had lead them correctly… - Even assured that YoYo didn't hold any grudges, like he had been. - He couldn't help but lead the way. It also looked particularly good on his part, since he was supposed to be the leader of that group of "Rudies", the GG.

His yellow t-shirt, with the japanese letters, saying whatever, was glued to his back, as he sweated. Not from the gruelling effort of getting there. - As as a roller skater he wasn't used to waking but he could do so if needed. - But due to the nervosism from the situation. As the building had come into view, so had come his nervosism.

He didn't look back at the other three, but he was sure each and every one of them expressed the same signs of discomfort, though some more vocally than others. He was sure. - And if he wasn't so nervous that would have made him display a small smile - that Tab didn't even display any groans or other vocal displeasures. As for Gum? While she could be quite loud when she could, specially when he had a dumb idea, she mostly confined herself to eye rolls.

No, if anything were to happen it would be YoYo to say a couple curses, probably even send a teacher to some damp place, or to stuff something in some hole, imagine that! And though Beat couldn't imagine Captain Onishima having him had released without at least some kind of thin ground warning. That was, the whole "I'm watching you closely" talk and everything….YoYo might not listen if angry enough.

So It was up to him to keep the calm….at least he'd try, he couldn't promise anything.

But still he stood, ready to enter the school, the towering three storey tall structure that was like a giant over them. He'd have to pass through the gates first, and it racked his mind. - That he'd have to do that, when he really didn't have much else to do. But it wasn't like he had an alternative, and he knew the other three to have his eyes on him, intent on following him, so he moved. Slower than he would have liked, but still he moved.

The person at the front gate seemed to find that amusing, at least, as evidenced, by the derisive snort that he made when Beat approached. The police that chased the youth and the "Rudies" always wore masks, to avoid getting spray tanned in the face. But the kind of stance that the man had, his lean, his buff arm and chest, all seemed to indicate that he had some sort of non civil background, and that if a fight broke out he wouldn't exactly be rooting for Beat. Oh he'd bring order, sure, but Beat had a feeling it wouldn't be in a nice way.

"What's the matter boy?" - It was impossible to tell if this was, or was not someone who belonged to Captain Onishima's squad, since the synthesizers they always wore in their masks masked their voices, but the tone wasn't friendly. - "Scared..? C'mon...name!"

Shit! Really? Beat hadn't even thought about it until now! Of course they'd want to know his real name. And he was sure that they wouldn't take "Beat" as an answer. Amidst the "Rudies" you only told your name, your civilian, real name, to the ones you trusted the most. As a small group everyone in the "Rudie" tag, knew his name, and he knew YoYo and Gum's, though he didn't know Tab's name. In fact, "Call me Tab" had been some of the only words Tab had ever spoken to him, he communicated only in gestures…

And now this man wanted to know his civilian name? He realised that this was a simple ploy of the city council, that way, if they were ever arrested, they could match records...but Beat had never been arrested.

And he hadn't really used that stupid name since he had left home all those years ago, he hadn't even thought about it in years! Why would he use it? It didn't belong to him.

Making sure that no one, other than his three friends, was around in either side of the road he whispered it to the man. The man took great pleasure in pretending not to hear it, and forcing him to speak it louder, until he was almost screaming it.

He did the same thing to the the other two, much to YoYo's rage, who, if he didnt' have only one good arm and had Gum there to calm him down, with her constant utterances of "It's not worth it", something which Beat appreciated, he would have taken a swing. That was until he got to Tab.

Tab had never been much of a speaker...Beat had accepted him for who he was, because the young adult could definitively skate, and he was a good friend to him, even if quiet. But the man tried to continue his mockery.

Tab was smart, he knew that even if he talked and whispered it, he would be humiliated further, as all of the other "GG's" had been. Whoever this guy had, he had a beef towards "Rudies" such as himself, making them scream out their civil names like that. He also knew that if he used violence...something he was capable of doing, what with his strength, things would only get worse.

So Tab approached the guy, took the clipboard the guy had, where he was signing the names of every single "Rudie" that was coming, and, in his scrawling - which was shaky, since it had been a few years since he had written without it being in a tag style - He wrote his name. A classy, simple solution.

He didn't have to yell, or get pushed around. He just did what he had to do to move on. Much to the dismay of the guard who stood in front, trying to bother.

"That guy was an as…" - YoYo fumed and venting, pushing his one good hand in the air. Thankfully he hadn't had to sign the form, which would be hard with only one hand, but he now vented his frustration. He kicked a small pebble out of the gravel path…

"I know, I know, but we can't let one bad person ruin our whole day, who knows, this might be great!" - Gum was at it again, with the self help book positivity thing, Trying to keep them cheered up and happy despite the first encounter they had had at the school.. - "While I don't adhere to what you were about to call him, let's stick to more moderate terms like jerk or…" - A thin smile came to her face. - "Dick…, which yes, he was. We probably won't be treated like that by everyone, will we?"

Beat took a look back at her, gratitude in his eyes, yet her eyes still were hard towards him. She still hadn't forgiven him, for his bout of immaturity a while back.

"Yeah, Gum's right...I know it might seem boring, but we got to give it a chance!" - Beat tried his best to seem cheerful, not only for the benefit of YoYo but also to please Gum, that was also mad at him. But all he heard was a scoff from YoYo. He guessed that the boy wasn't feeling super confident.

He turned back. - It was still early and despite the sun having already risen, it was still a tad chilly - And he did his heartbreaker smile, trying to comfort the boy.

"Listen dude, YoYo." - He wouldn't use his civilian name, because that was a super disrespectful thing to do, even in this kind of situation. Tab and Gum had stopped to see the way he would deal with situation. Or maybe they just wanted to wait for them two, he didn't know. Didn't matter to him anyway, right now all his focus was on the smaller boy in front of him.

"I know that you don't want to be here...heck, I don't want to be here, I don't think anyone wants to be here."

YoYo let out a forced smile and . - "Really making me feel better, dude, geez" - with an incredibly sarcastic tone.

Beat, who had the use of both hands pushed one in front of YoYo and told him to let him finish.

"But that doesn't matter, the past is in the past…" - He seemed to consider something, before pulling his lenses off as to look the other boy straight in the eyes. - "If you don't do this to learn, like Gum wants to." - He heard a scoff, but he ignored it, because his focus was solely on the other boy and not on Gum, he'd deal with her later. - "Do it to show to Captain Onishima that that he can't get you." - YoYo was going to retort but Beat stopped him. - "Because he's going to be waiting on us to slip, so he can get us all, but if we don't that'll make him madder than mad. And that's pretty funny!"

YoYo smirked at the idea, indeed it was pretty funny, he did have one correction to Beat, who kept referring to that guy, as Captain Onishima. The guy had put a bullet through his back, he had been a bastard before, now he was just in a whole different league.

"I see what you're saying, except, let's not call him Captain, that's his rank, let's call him…" - Gum let out a shocked gasp at what she heard, Tab put a hand to his mouth, though it was obvious that he was laughing in his own silent way. Beat. however, couldn't help but stop him.

"We can't call him that! Fat bastard is fine...but that...geez! You're mean YoYo, plain cruel!" - They kept on walking, their tones of voices lowering, because they had it in their minds that if someone heard the insult YoYo had thrown in the air, directed at Captain Onishima, they'd be in some deep trouble.

"He shot me, I have no pity for him!" - He moved his one good arm, in a dismissive way. - "But fine...if you insist, let's call him Fat Bastard."

Beat smiled, pushing his lenses from his hand to his eyes. Regaining his normal vision back. Though they weren't graduated, this kind of made it look normal to him. Cartoony, like he was in a trance. He liked it.

"Thank you!"

Beat shook his head, even after all this time, YoYo still found ways to surprise him. And what a mouth he had! Like a sailor! It was unbelievable. A thin smile, however, couldn't help but creep into his features. He loved his gang.

The four "Rudies" moved towards the school after what seemed like a half an hour of delay. It felt empty, strangely so. It made Beat feel like they were probably the only gang of "Rudies", that had been captured. And that did nothing for his self esteem.

YoYo, though he wasn't the leader, took it upon himself to take it over, since he had had the whole situation explained to him by Captain Onishima. Though he couldn't point, he motioned towards an annex with his head.

"We go to get our free supplies there, and also our schedules...now, since I'm younger, I won't be seeing you guys, which is bull…" - He looked at Beat, and then at Gum. - "But it's no problem! The shi….herm I mean fat bastard can't break us apart even if he tries!"

They all headed in the direction of the annex, where a bored looking employee stood giving out school supplies to every kid that appeared. This one didn't seem to have a problem with them. He was just doing the same task dozens of times. And that must have been boring. Beat felt kind of sorry for him actually.

When they had their school supplies and a copy of their schedules, which much to YoYo's chagrin, went on until 3 pm! And they heard a mouthful from him about how that cut into his time. - Not that he would be able to tag with only one hand, and he was having bigger problems balancing the school supplies and the schedule on one arm. - It actually looking a little ridiculous, they finally split up.

"Don't do anything rash or stupid! - Beat said, truthfully, he couldn't stop it. He hadn't even remembered that YoYo was younger, and he wouldn't be there to supervise him, this complicated things further...but he had some faith in YoYo.

"I won't!" - Without being able to wave back, he had to turn his whole body, pressing the backpack and the schedule against his arm pit so as things didn't fall. - "You guys have fun!"

"As if" - Beat murmured, so quietly only he, himself, heard it, as he wanted, because if Gum heard it, she'd scoff, and he wanted to give confidence to YoYo. - "We will!" - He waved back.

By that point they were starting to get a tad late so they had to run to the classroom at which their first lesson was situated, and it was there that things started to go South, immediately.

"You!" - The teacher - Short, plumped, frog faced, appeared to be in her 50's, with graying hair. She stood there pointing at Tab. - Stand in front of the class and introduce yourself.

Beat, from the doorway couldn't help but groan...a hand in his face, almost like he was facepalming. This was heading towards a disaster, really quickly...


	8. Chapter 7

Tab stood there, at a loss for words. Then again when was he not at a loss for words? Not that he couldn't reply if he didn't want to. - It wasn't like he was mute or anything of the sort, he just didn't feel like it. Why should he have to do it.

Beat stood there observing the situation for what seemed like minutes but, couldn't, in fact be more than half a minute. He couldn't let the situation go on like this, he had to interfere. Proceeding to push himself in front of Tab, who still had his woollen cap on, since he hadn't been told not to take it, nor had Beat been told to take his sunglasses off for that matter. - And something which was hard when Tab was taller than Beat, he proceeded to try and intervene to stop the humiliation.

"He doesn't talk." - He let out one of his patented smiles. If YoYo had his slasher smile that made girl nervous, he had his heartbreaker smile, that seemed to work on most every girl, but Gum, who had grown wary to his trick, unfortunately. - "Much…so you'll have to excuse him if he doesn't introduce himself…miss"

Beat didn't know what the name of the teacher was, besides the obvious bullfrog face, she remembered Gum describing a book character like that once to him, Umbridge or something, if so the author must have had a teacher like this, for sure. He liked her less and less and he had only had her for less than two minutes of class time.

"That may very well be so, mister…" - And her fingers rattled the desk at a rhythm almost like the rhythm of roller skates on gravel or a spray can being shaken, things that Beat really liked, only this could only bring bad things. - "But I did not ask you...did I? Now excuse me, while I ask this young man, what is his name"

The class stood silently watching, to see who came out on top, and Beat realised, now, that he had put himself on a dangerous spot, he had challenged her authority, and she, as a leader, would have to refute any such attempts. At the same time, though, Beat had his crew to lead, even if it meant getting himself in trouble.

He sighed. He had hoped to avoid any signs of trouble, at least in the first few days, or weeks, if anything, he had expected trouble to come from YoYo's side, not from himself when he had told the others to behave not two minutes ago. But a leader had to lead even if that meant never to back down...misguided as that attitude was…

"And I said…" - He strained his teeth, and he noticed with satisfaction that the bullfrog women's eyes were bulging out, which made her look even less attractive than she already was…"That he doesn't talk. Period. So if you'll excuse us…"

"Now stop right there!" - Beat had to sigh as he stopped his trek towards the back of the class to hear that voice, that surprisingly, didn't belong to the teacher, but to Gum. Yes, Gum. Gum was challenging him as a leader!

"Sorry miss, my friends don't know when to stop their fights, I'm Gum, pleased to meet you" - She did a short curl, the thing of thing that sounded fake from a distance and everyone in the room thought so, even Beat could see it. Gum would never curl or bow to anyone, but...there she was, doing it. The teacher was immensely pleased by it. She opened her big eyes and pleaded.

"My friends...they don't know manners...please don't send them on their way, they could really do with some education!" - She glowered at Beat, as if telling him to act abashed and he did so, lowering his head.

The teacher seemed to consider that and moved her head.

"Alright, young lady, you three, sit down, but you're on thin ground."

Beat couldn't help but smile, a cocky smile that he was sure to hide, it seemed every adult they came to had the same conversation about them being on thin ground, yet they always got away. Gum, however, was not pleased.

"Wipe that stupid smirk of yours of your face before you get us in any more trouble!" - She had started sprawling down the notes because she knew the other two wouldn't and they'd need the help, and she was half considering not even helping them. - "What kind of leader are you, honestly, you're good for pep talks, but not much else are you?"

Beat saw Gum glowering at him and he lowered his gaze, quickly making due with his pen, slowly copying the notes, and he meant slowly, as he hadn't written without it being stylized in years. - "What?"

"A good leader knows when to back down! You catch more flies with a drop of honey than with a barrel of vinegar you know?"

Beat dropped his pen, spraying a thin line of ink through the page. He ripped it off and started again, glowering. - "You've been in the game for years now, you know how "Rudies" are treated… - she lowered her voice even further. - She approached his ear while waiting for further notes to be put on the board as she had finished passing them. - Why do you got to make more enemies?

Beat opened his mouth to reply but the truth was...he had no answer, some anger had just overtaken him, the best answer he could come up with was that he wanted to protect Tab from scorn.

Tab shook his shoulders, from behind the two of them, he had been hearing their discussion, and he had no real opinion on it. While he appreciated Beat's attempts at helping, he could see Gum's point.

"Tab would have been fine either way. As soon as a predetermined amount of time passed and he didn't reply he'd have been sent to his chair, she'd be annoyed at him, but not as annoyed as she is right now!"

Almost as if guessing the teacher was glaring at the three of them, that quickly scrambled to pace up their pace. Or pretend to, Gum had already passed her notes, Beat had had to restart, while Tab, being non verbal, shaky as it was, was at least pretty fast at writing.

They spoke out of the corners out of their mouths low, in whispers, so as to not be heard. Gum didn't want to ruin all her innocent school girl image by talking with her friends during the day, as it were. Though she did, only not louder.

"Oh" - Beat's eyes cast downwards through that wasn't visible through his sunglasses. He had a feeling he was committing a social faux pas or any other complicated word Gum would know by not taking them while indoors, but heck if he would remove them without being specifically asked to. Those filters from reality were so in laid in him that he felt weird without them.

"Yeah, oh" - Though her frame didn't show it, as she couldn't, due to the place she was in, her voice certainly did, even if lower, honestly, she was starting to doubt what Beat had for a brain. Was it peanuts? Because it didn't seem to be gray matter.

Since every single "Rudie" in the building probably had a different level of education from one another, since they had given the educated life, for the life of street, hunger, and skates, at different times, their schedules, were sort of based around, their real age. Though they were far behind what a real high schooler would really learn at that stage in their life. To Gum, who had been sneaking middle and high school books once they became replaceable the year after, that was sort of frustrating.

"This is so basic!" - She complained in the hallways that lined the ways to their next class, arts. Beat thought it pretty ironic that they had a whole lesson dedicated to arts when they were being put there for creating what was, in his opinion, art, though, he was reminded of Captain Onishima's motto, Real Graffiti is vandalism, and shouldn't be done without a license, but it turned out to be about some dead painter or other who had died centuries earlier and his styles of technique. Interesting, but non applicable with a tag can. Beat figured that was probably intentional. Michelangelo and Rembrandt and who knows who else didn't have those. Or who knows what major tags they'd have been able to pull for the ages?

Beat was trying a different strategy from mindlessly pleasing Gum, and agreeing with her, and ignoring her, he was actually trying to listen to her, and provide actual feedback, that would work, provided he could say the right things, but he still felt like a bit of a toss up when it came to say anything to her.

"Herm...yeah basic…" - Beat had left school years prior and he was struggling with every subject so far, not all teachers had been as bad as bullfrog, thank goodness, but they all had come with their disciplines in tow, and even the ones he thought he'd be good at, like arts, he wasn't that good at, it was just theory and filling up squares! Squares! What art is there to squares?

Gum let out one of her superior smiles, contrary to Beat, she excelled at everything. She was...and this was the honest truth...more than prepared for most disciplines by the books she had snuck out of the dump, and even those she hadn't, her quick mind had been fast to adapt to. Even the ones Beat was eager to complain to she wasn't bothered about. It was only the first day after all.

And - As she gleefully reminded Beat. - As it was only the first day, it was only bound to get harder, much to his displeasure and groans. They didn't know what Tab felt about it, he had passed the notes that had been given, filled out his squares in art class, and stared at the teachers blankly when asked a question so it never happened again, he would be getting a minus in participation that was for sure. But overall the day wasn't going bad.

They all meet at lunchtime at the cafeteria. - You weren't supposed to sit with other grades, to avoid "Rudie" meetups, but when you're paid close to minimum wage to cook and look after a bunch of "Rudies", who really cares? Gum quickly looked for YoYo, who had his stuff all put inside his bag, it pushed aside, against his good shoulder. He waved at them, or tried to, his arms not letting him move very far with the weight of the backpack and quickly approached.

"Boy you wouldn't believe the amount of time after each class to get the material, and I think I'm learning to write with both hands...just out of pure need, geez!" - He showed them his hands, where his main writing hand was clear, but the one he didn't use for writing, but had been forced to write, was full of dirty squibbles from the pen. Gum took a look at his notebooks, the letters were barely comprehensible and they varied in size.

"On the upside if I keep this up, even with this arm like this, I can go…."

He didn't dare say it, not there in the heavily watched school, he didn't dare pronounce pronounce the words tag. The pain from the bullet wound was still too recent in his mind.

Beat shook his mind.

"I don't know if doing that thing is a good idea, after all, last time…"

YoYo gestured wildly with one arm…

"Then I'll be faster, I just want to show the fat bastard that he can't keep me down, the sh….I mean fat bastard is such a creep, shooting up little kids with his non squirt gun"

Beat laughed around, but he felt uneasy. The truth was, he was falling behind already, he needed some of that time to recover. He might need to be honest.

"You see…"

"Beat's just behind! He doesn't know anything at school!"That's why he's got to study" - Beat gave out a little smile of gratitude to Gum, but her eyes showed steel, she didn't dare show kindness, not after what he'd done.

"Wait, shit really? Dude, this mess is totally easy!"

"Well he's been getting in row with teachers!"

Tab made the universal gesture for a laughter, and YoYo, himself left out large brutal laughter.

"And you tell me to stay out of trouble, dude, you're a freaking hypocrite, geez!"

Beat felt himself redden. He wished he had his earphones with Jet Set Radio to drown the conversation, like YoYo had, but he apparently hadn't been using them. He had been paying attention, was he the only one who was in trouble?

"It was a teacher" - He corrected, as if that made it any better, but it only YoYo laugh harder. - "And it's no big deal! I can just study!"

"Well, you'd better start soon, instead of going tagging, like you always do" - Gum said, reprovingly.

"That was probably Captain Onishima's plan all along...now that I think about it….hey, just a frikkin question, you guys also fill in squares in your art classes, like you are 5 or something? What's up with that?" - YoYo inquired.

"Yeah…" - And they started a dutifully boringly conversation with the occasional swear word thrown in about squares.


	9. Chapter 8

Together they stood making idle chatter, and asking just what the heck making squares had to do with art, though Gum had her theory - Gum always had a theory of everything. - about being about precision and control. - Not that any of them needed it, having been taggers for years up to that point. YoYo couldn't help but scoff at the idea, a much more sinister thought had passed through his mind.

"Ya know those old cartoons how squares are super boring and easy to draw and remove creativity?" - He moved one of his arms, in fact he moved the only one of the arms he could move. - plastic fork in hand, food around in his mouth. - It wasn't easy to understand him , as he still had bits of the food they had eaten, like some sort of slobs in the mouth, around the sides of it. Truly an appalling sight, but it was better than the stale bread they had had in the morning, they had eaten it fast, half afraid it'd disappear. - "It's like that….listen we don't watch a lot of cartoons or movies or anything really, in fact we hear a whole lot more music than we watch tv, unlike other younglings…." - He gestured with his fork in the air, dumb as they thought he was he could still maneuver the fork - even if a plastic one. - He moved his head so their friends could see where the little earbuds with "Jet Set Radio" was on. - "So crap, my theory is...they're sapping our creativity, and that's why I listened to "Jet Set Radio" in art class.

He let out a smile, which still had bits of food attached to it, the slasher smile had shown a variety of emotions in the short while since he had gone missing...gratitude, nervosism, pain, but this one, this one was pure silliness.

Gum pointed at a napkin that stood amidst his tray, and YoYo quickly started cleaning up his face. Not an easy talk when everything around his mouth was, much like spray can tagged a wall, spotted into his face. But he got most of it off.

"Speaking of, has "Professor K" said anything yet?" - Beat inquired, one of his fingers pointed towards the tiny radio that was almost glued to the younger boy's body. He had been the only one with earbuds to conceal that he was listening the radio instead of huge headphones so he had been the one to bring them. Not to mention the fact that he also had a sweatshirt with a hoodie, so he could conceal it better.

YoYo waved a hand dismissively, almost as if he didn't care. But the truth was, he did care, and the man hadn't said anything. The distinctive voice of the professor hadn't been heard anywhere, that morning. - "Nah dude, maybe later."

Beat let out a sigh of disappointment, it was clearly obvious that the "Professor" knew things, if he wasn't talking then either one of two things had happened, option one, nothing had happened. - which could be good, the "Rudies" had been captured and that had been it, Or option two, something big was brewing, and he wasn't part of it.

It made him uneasy, he knew that it was a pirate radio, but for all he knew the police had since figured out the scrambled channels of "Jet Set Radio". He glanced around. - It had turned out he hadn't been the only "Rudie" captured. There were quite a few dozen. Or at least he assumed they were "Rudies"

He even recognised a few from their tagging battles, from when he went "Hey you" and they tried to tag over one another. He smiled fondly, that usually just created a bigger mess for the city to clean, a bigger task force and more paperwork for the fat bastard….who had now taken his vengeance.

Yeah he had been big alright. As he chewed. - Mouth closed, after Gum pointed him he looked disgusting chewing with his mouth open like that. - he thought of ways he could introduce himself to them. After all, he was a "Rudie" leader, and he was a member of the GG's, but this wasn't a prison yard, they were all in this together, right? Against the big corporations, or the Rokkaku Conglomerate, or the fat bastard, who had shot YoYo? At this point Beat didn't know who he wanted to hurt. But he was compelled to do petty vandalism.

Almost as if sensing his look, and to where he was looking Gum, who had been the first to finish her meal, even if she took itsy bites out of her food instead of the huge, almost half plate bites the boy's took, simply told him one thing.

"Don't"

"Huh?" - Caught in the act, Beat looked guiltily at her, glad that his eyes were hidden by the lenses, despite that he was sure that his voice still showed some guilt, and he cursed silently the fact that Gum was so observant. How could she have known? He was wearing his mint green sunglasses.

Tab took one of his rare excursions into speech to talk. He, who sat in front of Beat, was vaguely aware of what was going on, as he had only his hands to play with. He stared at the two of them, and at their discussion. His voice was pleasant, though it was rough, from lack of use, Beat lifted an eyebrow, it wasn't often he talked, this must be some deal.

"Yes. - A pause, it wasn't like speaking came naturally to tab, so he often took pauses between words, whether to make his points across or not, whether to make it obvious. - "YoYo can't get caught again." - Another pause. Tab licked his lips. YoYo was unaware of the words being spoken too focused into the food still being woven into his lips. - "Man this stuff's good!"

Tab smiled at the other boy before pronouncing the final words of his for the day. - "Be smart. - Pause. - Beat." - And then he adjusted his cap further so his eyes were hidden.

It was not like he was out of breath, roller-Skating required an immense amount of breath, and he had plenty, he just didn't feel like talking, and that didn't come naturally to him. He was a naturally quiet person.

"Hey wait a second….you guys talking about me?" - But Beat had already made a move with his hands to signalise that the conversation was over. YoYo looked at the three of them, seeing that even Tab had spoken, a rare thing and he had missed it because of the food. - "Ah shit! I can't believe I missed Tab talking! One of this days I'll hear it!"

Beat shook his head, grinning. Maybe Gum and Tab were right, maybe it wasn't worth the risk to YoYo, or to themselves. Yet a part of him still felt like…

Gum lifted her plate and placed it in the place where it was supposed to go to be washed and dryed, later, so she'd come and eat tomorrow. She felt cheery, despite Beat's obvious missteps as a leader, so far, this wasn't being half as bad as they were expecting. Beat rushed in to join her, his plate, with the food already gone and the cup of water balancing, a quarter full, in his hands. He smiled at her, that heartbreaker smile of his, Not to woo her or anything, but just to try and soften her heart a bit…

It didn't work. Gum was still far too annoyed at him to care about him, great smile or otherwise. It was like he didn't think! They had agreed to behave, to help YoYo, and he had been thinking of something, some kind of plan. - She didn't know what. - but he had that mischievous look on his face that told her that he would defy authority

Tab quickly joined them, dumping the contents of his plate in the rubbish bin and putting his now clean tray, minus styrofoam cup and cutlery on the place. It was like they were afraid they'd start cutting people with them if they provided real, metal, and glass, tools.

YoYo was next and, since his arm was slinged, someone had to carry his plate for him, that someone just happened to be a member of staff, which stood none too pleased with it.

"Move along now. C'mon!"

They all moved along, and YoYo moved together with them, making playful banter, there was some talk about YoYo was living the "good life".

"Yeah, I'm living the good life, even have some people to do my shit...just wish it hadn't hurt so much to get it done for me though"

That shut the conversation real quick though, YoYo's eyes lit up and he assured them that it was fine, that it didn't hurt (that much), and that he was feeling much better already, but they all knew the truth, they had seen it first hand. Heck, Gum knew basic first aid, and though she knew the aid applied to him had been the best medicine could provide (before a quick strap on the chair for interrogation and a deal), it wasn't all that great.

"Sorry dude I didn't thi…"

"It's alright!" - YoYo smiled a good natured slasher smile, shaking his one good shoulder, almost like telling people that he didn't care, though the pain in his mid-riff was obviously there. - "You get used to it, same as I get used to Beat's feet Body Odor!"

Everyone laughed along...well Tab made the gestures for it, but didn't actually make the sounds, he was done uttering sounds for the day, but they got it anyway. Beat's feet B.O was a running joke amongst them, they didn't know what was it in the guy's feet or if it was his skates, but he sweated from them, a lot.

"I don't think we could keep on skating for a bit even if we tried,,,I mean think about it" - Beat let out a sad smile as he glanced around, to a lot of where the "Rudies" stood, whether amongst their groups, whether alone, if their gangs didn't come through for them. - "YoYo has an arm that he can't move, we're on parole, so to speak, not to mention his lack of skates…"

YoYo pulled something out of his pocket, it was just like the old red tinted sunglasses he wore, only this ones didn't have a crack. They were brand new…Beat and Gum were both going to open their mouths at the same time, to ask the same question - Just where the heck had he gotten ahold of some of those when he replied.

"Check this out! There's this group of "rudies", will get you anything for a pack of smokes…"

So that was it...smokes were a drink, named after a cigar, that had been in the market for a few months only, before being pulled, back in the day Beat and the other GG had gotten themselves lots of them by ransacking Rokkaku trucks carrying smoke boxes. That had been when they were more "Hard" and "Criminal" instead of simply trucks - Another reason they didn't want to get caught. - Still, they found them pretty hard to get rid of, since they had been pulled off the market you couldn't just openly drink one in public. The guy's had been slowly drinking them one by one, but they still had a few dozen and they were pretty sick of the high caffeinated and sugary taste. But they had done it more for the rush of it than for the sugary drink, which reports said caused cancer - then again what didn't cause cancer these days. - Yoyo was unsure of himself - "I took some this morning, you don't mind, do you?"

Beat let out a jolly laugh….

"Nah, I just want to know where you carried them since one of your arms is in a sling and the other was plainly visible, did you tie them to your body or something?"

YoYo's smile became smaller. He asked Gum who was nearer, to replace his lenses, which she did. He felt whole again. It felt good!

"They even have netrium skates my size!"

Beat's smile became weary, he didn't know how to break the news to YoYo so he started with a joke...

"We'll see about the skates, of course, but what, did you glue them to your armpits or something?"

"You do NOT want to know...but a lot of duct tape was used…"


	10. Chapter 9

**Tokyo-To (just Tokyo, 2 years ago)**

The three juvenile delinquents and occasional taggers were in synchrony, carrying themselves and grinding along the rails, keeping up with the truck from the Rokkaku conglomerate. - It shouldn't have been possible. You'd think that as soon as the driver got a leeway, he'd escape, what with being on a motorized vehicle and all, but the traffic of Tokyo-to, simply called Tokyo, was particularly bad at that time of the night.

It was the evening rush, and while most people were just starting to drive out of work, to some, the day was just beginning. Such was the case for Yoshida. Yoshida, the truck driver. He stood impatiently, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel of his car, making some sort of groovy beat, the radio not picking up anything but the iddle chatter of news that didn't matter to him. - And still he was stuck in traffic, moving, yes, but moving at less than 10 miles an hour.

"We're going to lose him Beat!" - Gum spoke. - Her voice higher pitched than what Beat was used. There's a lot of voice maturation that you can do in two years, and, Gum had certainly felt it. In fact, the recently joined member of the GG's (it had only been Tab and Beat so far), couldn't help but glance at the truck that slowly moved….sure she was moving ahead, and going fast, but how could she hope to catch up?

"Relax!" - Beat let out a smile, a smile that could be considered gorgeous, and Gum had to admit, her little 15 year old legs shook, which could be incredible dangerous considering she was on skates. - She had to get used to that nice smile! It was just so so! - She shook her head, she needed to read more, to think of words, even if she already read a lot more than the other two boys.

Beat silently laughed seeing the effect he had on Gum, he was sure that he was going to have this effect on her forever...he was that way with girls, effective, he played with their hearts, like a weapon of mass destruction. And his lovely 15 year old heart loved it.

He was about to do something that wasn't so lovely though, he moved one arm, partly to make Gum a shivering mess again - in a check out this guns - kind of motion, even if he had none, as he had always been lean and not muscled. - And partly to indicate to Tab what to do.

As they had been the only two members of the GG's, these two had developed sort of a non verbal communication, gestures that indicated what Beat wanted Tab to do. He did one of his fancy moves, indicating him to follow him, the arm indicating him on the left.

As Tab took the left, Beat took the right, along the streets, and the grinds. It was softly cluttered what with the sound of people making it home from work, and he had to struggle to grind, but, despite that, most people just stood watching, as the kid balanced himself on his skates.

Netrium skates had just been invented, and Beat had gotten ahold of the expansion for the three pair of skates, that the three skaters the GG's had. It had been through fishy means, but he enjoyed the freedom as he clambered automatically to the rails, all he had to do was jump high, and get ready to explore.

Yoshida softly cursed. - He had to carry this pack of what passed for new drinks - _smokes_ \- he thought, to the rokkaku conglomerate warehouses, and he'd take all night if it came to this! This traffic! It'd get better once he got away from the city in it on itself, but, by that time it'd already be late night.

As Tab took the left and Beat skated towards the right, Gum took the back, too risky to try and go from the back - opening up that could be seen and the juvenile delinquents would be caught up easily - no. - she she had to figure out a way to climb upwards and get in through the ventilation vent through the upper part of it.

Gum's hands shook as she tried to gain a grip on the cold metal of the van - what was she going to do? She had joined the GG 's - even completing their challenge. - finding their hotspot, which had no name. - but she couldn't see herself doing this. But she had no times for doubts now. A lean hunger for respect and a soft caress of determination passed through her.

It was risky from either side to climb. - From the right, there were lots of people in the streets who could see it, though most of them had their eyes glued on their smartphones. - But on the left there were cars that could hit her, and while they passed fast, they still passed. She decided on the left.

Her heart trembled as she went in the direction of Tab who softly helped pick her up. Her skates offered no grip on the van unless she placed them horizontally, and she didn't want to do it that way, or she'd go sliding off towards what would probably be an incoming car. Tab used whatever strength he had to lift her, all the while skating, luckily the traffic had slowed down to a crawl again, or this tango wouldn't work.

She managed to push one hand over the edge of the van and, with the help of her bottom being pushed by Tab, something that made her blush when she realised she wasn't wearing a onesie or pants like the boys, she finally made it inside.

This was the most delicate part of the operation, Gum was on top of the vehicle, that moved, however slowly, but she still had to slide inside, build a stairway for herself and get enough cans of smokes to make this whole thing worthwhile.

Beat and Tab casted looks at the inside of the van, all the while Yoshida, the unpleasant fellow thumped his hands across the steering wheel. It was lucky he didn't look out of his side view mirrors, or he'd have seen the two boys. - Instead all he saw was that there was a track kicking in, which he dug.

Convenient or not, Gum started pushing up cans of Smokes upside all the while making a stairs so as to grip herself enough to get out. Which would be hard with the skates. - She thought it over. - young kids with packs and crates of Smokes - the new expensive drink - would look suspicious, so she snuck some cans into her clothing, just in case.

She finally got out, wobbling. The tune that Yoshida liked was ending and while it was no "Jet Set Radio" - the scrambled pirate station that the kids, the "Rudies" as they would come to be called in later years, would come to be called, it was still classic rock, and a classic, is and will always be a classic.

Gum stood, some packs and crates she managed to get out on her hands, they felt slippery as she sweated. - She didn't know when she'd do this again, or even why she was doing. - But it felt good! Defying the authority!

She looked for Beat who skated alongside the truck, traffic was finally dimming down and she nearly fell when Yoshida, now that the music had ended, pressed the accelerator. She threw the boxes down. Beat barely catching them. One after the other. - Smokes were a high energy caffeinated drink - so while it was small, it still gave energy. - So, really, Beat could handle two or this packs even on this 15 year old hands, if he held them in his hands.

Tab held out a spraying can - as the leader, normally it'd be up to Beat to do this, but he had seen how Gum was throwing the cans and bottle at him. - not a good idea, they were sodas! - So he sorta figured he'd leave his own mark.

It was hard tagging a moving object, but as he got the blue tagging spray he did his best to do the blue "Stylised" GG and Tab. It wasn't the best tag in the world, there were places where the can had run off and it had sorta sprayed to the side. But it was done.

He gestured to Gum "Hit me up!" And she smiled, she pulled some crates down and threw them, to the floor near tab, them pushed a hand down. Tab pushed her hand and they were pulled back as the van accelerated.

"That was something!" - Gum smiled, her eyes bright, her heart was running at a million miles per minute, and she now stood on top of Tab!

Tab pushed her off her in, the cold asphalt and quickly got up - they were in the middle of the road after all! Not much for talks he simply pushed a thumbs up at her.

"Yeah, that was a good job!"

Cars honked impatiently as they waited for them to get out of the road, and Tab and Gum hoped that they hadn't been seen doing what they did, they picked the crates - the smokes - the thing they had come out for, and went along.

"Phfew! That was….that was amazing, that was incredible, that was!" - Gum's motor mouth voice came through. She usually didn't come through when it came to talking like this, staying quiet and reserved, but this, this! That had been…

"I know…" - Beat's voice came amused, at the youngest member of the GG's, he too was satisfied. This was the most delicate - let's call it - heist - they had ever done, now that they had 3 members. - "Did you tag it so they know who did it?"

Tab nodded. Gum huffed in annoyance. - "I really did most of the work, ya know, I deserved the tag!"

Beat, who was carrying his fair share of - Smoke packs - throughout the city, at night, was quick to assure her that yes, she did have the tag chance. But "We were running out of time"

"I hear they appointed a new captain, to stop us juvenile delinquents, they call us rubies or something ridiculous like that can you believe it?"

Gum laughed around, readily, though she was still affected by Beat's perfect smile. It was impossible not to, it was so dreamy!

"We had to be quick!"

Gum had never dared speak back to her captain, to her leader, to her chief, to her, well not master, but to her superior, but a pointless boiling rage was building over her, almost like she couldn't help it.

"And I suppose I ain't fast at tagging?"

Beat had dealt with female fury before, he was a heartbreaker after all, this wasn't the same thing, but he tried to deal with it the same way, smiling, a good looking smile, gently back away, replying.

"I didn't say that!" - If he wasn't carrying the crates and packs of drinks he would have lifted his arms to show that he meant no arm to the girl. - "I just said, we needed to be quick, and Tab was closer"

Tab didn't nod this time, he knew when to stay out of arguments, he wasn't about to get into an argument with a girl….what...he would get into the way of a fuming girl? Plus he had never seen her like this.

"Oh go stuff it!" - Gum realised her anger wasn't rational, but she didn't care, if it came down to it, she'd blame herself any other time. - "I mean...after all, I nearly did this by myself!"

Beat stopped his skates. Imposing. He didn't have as much of an imposing figure as Tab would have, but he still stopped the other two….

"Gum….please, be rational!"

She made a noise that sounded very much alike a "roomph". He wanted rational, she'd show him rational, in fact, she'd be so rational he would regret it!


	11. Chapter 10

"Jeez...not this talk again! I thought we had agreed that we were going to keep tagging no matter what!" - YoYo's eyes beamed with fury, not that any of them could see it. But all of them could almost imagine it, under his brand new sunglasses. His voice was raised, his reservations about using the words, "tag" and "spray" all but forgotten in his fury. - "Because you sure as hell were promising one another that you wouldn't give up when I showed up!" - a hand lifted, a smirk of fury, still some food attached to his upper teeth, which would normally be funny but none of them felt like laughing, some "Rudies" across looked at them. Beat let out an incriminatory smile. He had, indeed said that, but there wasn't much he could do but let YoYo storm his fury.

It was funny, in a way, the way things had turned out, when YoYo had asked him about the tagging and keeping at it, Beat had had to intervene and play the serious and respected leader. Right. As if. YoYo had lost his marbles at that, he had been screaming at him for the past 10 minutes, even if his argument could be resumed to, and to again to "You promised", like a petulant child who had his favorite toy taken away.

Beat had indeed promised, he made himself promising a lot of promises, but he couldn't help but end up breaking them, and while YoYo's words ringed his ears out, he couldn't help but feel guilty about it.

They had all agreed that they wouldn't stand aside and let Captain Onishima win, it had been one of the first things they had ever decided on, really, other than the fact that Gum had to be rational, and that she needed to control her fury along her. Even if the two of them threw each other daggers from time to time. And now they were just giving up? It was one of those cases where he just wanted to agree with YoYo. It felt wrong to bend to Captain Onishima's will! It did! But what could he do? Really what could he do? He had a "Rudie" team member injured, and injured pretty badly, his arm in a sling, the other two pressuring him, and for once not only silently, to drop it, and he knew that he couldn't win.

Really as YoYo kept going on and on about how much of an unfair and bullshitty and stupid and idiotic decision Beat's decision was, he couldn't help but feel like he had no choice. Captain Onishima, and his cronies, even if on the side of the law, had cornered him good. He had never felt so lost and so stuck. He had his "Netrium" inline skates...sure - he could grind away. - Like a bad leader would. Away from his worries and the screams of indignation of YoYo, but he wouldn't do that.

He just had to make sure to make him see his point of view.

"YoYo!" - He half yelled, half shouted. - even if the two words were synonyms, they came out at a different tone, and the voice cracked. Which embarrassed him, but it wasn't as if could do anything about it. This was the third or second time he did this today...depending on how late at night it had been yesterday when YoYo had arrived, and sometimes Beat though he served only to do preppy pep talks to YoYo.

Which was a lot more to do than what he had done with Gum...she hadn't quite ever been the same since he had told her to be rational...and he had regretted that decision ever since. It was like she had a personal vendetta against him, and was doing it just to spite him. Or maybe he just thought the world of him, and she had decided to change his attitude, he didn't know, one or the other.

"Be ra…" - He stopped himself, remembering the night of the heist and stopping himself, just in case - "Be patient...it's only for a few months, then the fat bastard will blow his load and this whole thing will be abandoned. - YoYo's face was stopped mid stream as Beat started, and he smirked at the double entendre, something which Beat intended, because it distracted him from the worried smile on his face. He wasn't so sure about the whole "just for a few months" thing, this thing seemed expensive, it must have cost millions, it wouldn't be abandoned because a captain threw a tantrum. But still he lied.

"At least wait until your back gets better, you can barely walk, let alone skate…" - That part however, was true, YoYo wasn't just taking advantage of the situation to let underpaid staff carry his stuff around, Beat could see the strain, ever so present on his face, even then, as he had his things on his shoulder. - "Really YoYo, I know it sucks, but it's going to be just for some months…"

YoYo threw his head back, the little earbuds connected to his head becoming visible. They had been softly playing funky music, but it wasn't hearable, now, however, YoYo was going to turn it up, not before, though, saying some stuff.

"Right...let's see how this stuff turns out, right?" - He pressed the button on the radio to increase the volume and winced as it became so loud even his 3 friends could hear it, - "Sorry, sorry! But as I was saying, can I at least get the skates?"

This was a decision that had to be run by Beat. Even if he said no, he could easily see YoYo trying to get the cans and swapping them, which, while technically not stealing - everything in the garage belonged to everyone in the "GG's" - after all, would be dishonest. But then again if he said yes, he could see him sneaking in at night to practice. And in his current state he didn't want that. Ultimately of course it came to the question.

Did he trust YoYo?

Well he had trusted him enough to reveal it - his civilian name - to him. Not that it mattered to him, as he had been forced to reveal it to you, again, when entering the school. So he would have figured it out eventually. It was like those musics. "Conform or be cast out". Beat winced. He didn't tend to listen to music outside of Jet Set Radio usually but when he did...there were some music he actually liked.

But YoYo could prove to be one sneaky little...as he stared into his sunglasses through his own sunglasses, he couldn't help but think of all the times he had nearly been fooled by YoYo. There were a lot of these.

Of course, he did care for the boy, enough to worry about what he'd do if he got the skates...but ultimately the answer came easy to his lips…

It didn't even matter how many, they still must have about a hundred of those laying around, Gum had thrown quite a few crates.

"Sure" - He looked at YoYo's victorious smile, he was already lifting his one good arm. - Beat had the impression, that much like a chronic one who pleasures him or herself, when he got the sling out, he'd have the other arm much more muscled than the other. - "With one condition!"

YoYo's smile dropped. He didn't like this one setback condition thing Beat was imposing, but what other option did he have? He readily asked the obvious question, without dancing around the issue. He didn't feel like doing it.

"What's it? What do you want?"

Beat his smile firm and looked straight at the guy, not that he could see it, after all, he was wearing sunglasses. Sometimes they forgot that, not today they didn't. He removed his sunglasses and looked at him, directly.

"You do not skate before you are good. Or I tell you to do so. Got it?"

It was like Beat knew YoYo too well, YoYo's smile dropped and he kicked the floor in frustration.

"What's the sodding point then?"

"Getting them, and making sure you do NOT!" - Beat emphasized the word, as it needed to be said, it was obvious to anyone what it was, but YoYo could be stuck up in his own ways, then he visibly relaxed. - "Do something you'll regret later on."

Throughout all of this the other two had been staring at this battle of wills, Gum had to admit, she was impressed with how Beat was handling the situation, he himself wasn't backing down...as for YoYo...well YoYo had always been stubborn. Tab said nothing, but he had talked already today, so he had used more words today than usual.

"Fine!" - He puffed the words out, blowing. His hair was actually far too short for a strand to get into his eyes, or to be pulled upside, but it was a classical bad boy gesture. - "We'll have it your way."

Gum intervened.

"It's really for the best." - She put one of her hands to his back, careful not to touch the bruised part, and told him some stuff that might put him in a mood mood. - "You know...I bet once you are faster and stronger, you will be even better than Beat at this."

It was blatant flattery and she knew it, and Beat knew it. But he couldn't help but throw the stink eye at her. Which she ignored. Childiness and pettiness aside, that did make feel YoYo feel better.

"You might even be the next leader of the GG's!" - Beat had joined in on the compliments. As much as it hurt him to say it - "Ya know once I'm 18 I might have to stop doing this or I can be legally prosecuted for all I do, so you might need to form a new crew, call it the GG's part 2...ya know how it goes, plus I can drink!"

YoYo smiled. - "Ya really think so? Crap man, that's so frikkin awesome of you! Hopefully I don't recruit asses!"

"It's really not easy to find a good team, I mean I got you 3, you guys are awesome!" - Beat said, and all 4 smiled. - "But you will find 'em!"

YoYo lifted himself up...all his rage was gone, now all that he had was pride. Pride that his leader had selected him as the successor to the next gen of "GG's"- "I won't let you down. I will become faster, hotter, better, stronger, I won't let the shi...herm I mean the fat bastard capture me or anyone, and if he does, I will protect them like you do."

Beat smiled, it felt good to be complimented on his leadership skills, even if by someone who was as naive as YoYo...it was tough being a leader, and when he gave this up...he would have a surprise.

But if that was what he wanted to do himself then he had no doubt, it'd be a fun time for him. YoYo could be very determined. And determination was needed in a good leader.

"Clean up your language a bit first, though" - Beat recommended. - "Or the new GG's will swear like sailor's…"

YoYo's eyes glowed, though it couldn't be seen, he was too choked up for words, so he just nodded.

"But I still got almost 6 months of this, and you should be healed in 3 or 4, so, don't get rid of me that easily" - he laughed, and YoYo laughed along, it felt good to laugh. They made a good team. - "I'll make you into a good leader. I'll make you…" - He paused. - "If that's what you want to do ...good."

Gum didn't know where her idea of making YoYo the leader had come from, she was just saying it to make him feel better, but Beat had fully embraced the idea. She guessed it made sense, neither of them 3, her, Tab, or Beat, could be along much longer, but still…

They'd have to find jobs, integrate with society...and that was what school was for, speaking of which…

"Hey Beat…" - A thin smile, despite all that was forming on her lips. That boy had that effect on her, he couldn't help it. - If you're really going, you should focus on the studies, but...before we go into civilian mode…"

She lowered her tone almost as if embarrassed.

"We should do something big….heist?"

He whistled in appreciation

"Heist."


	12. Chapter 11

Beat had been trying his best to keep up with the studies...in fact they hadn't been going on any tagging trips lately...partly because, in fact, their leader was so busy with studies, partly because YoYo still hadn't recovered and they had promised they'd wait for him, but mostly because they were waiting to do something big.

It wasn't that Beat was...stupid, so to speak, he knew lots about life and street knowledge, it was just that...well, he had stopped hanging around schools in fourth grade, and from the fourth to the twelfth, things kind of take a turn to the harder...he found himself - whenever not planning the big heist - taking notes and looking at them and just trying to understand them. It was like a whole different language for them, and not only the ones who focused on other different languages.

It wasn't as if the Rokkaku Conglomerate had won, or the city council, once or twice Beat could swear he had seen Captain Onishima pass by him as he went on his way to school, his sneer ever so present, his stubble. - did he make his beard every other day only? - And the smell of aftershave. But he couldn't prove it, and he dared not bring up. Anyway he put it he hadn't been tagging.

The day YoYo's sling got removed was the day they were all hanging around the garages blueprints downloaded of this wonderful called the "internet" - they all knew what it was of course, but the school computers had it, and a printer. Which Beat nervously stood in front of while downloading and printing the files, just in case a teacher or someone showed up. - The blueprints showed the dumping grounds of all that old equipment and while Gum had scoffed at the idea of going through garbage. YoYo was excited. This was their first proper heist in years, and the first he was going onto.

It involved a lot of things, vandalism, invasion of propriety, theft, tagging...they had a feeling that Captain Onishima's veins above his eyes would pop out in that cartoony way when he found the place broken into and the 4 tags into the morning. Of course, they'd be wearing gloves, not cut themselves, and be careful with security guards and cameras, so it was like their greeting card couldn't be proof enough.

But as soon as the sling got removed from YoYo's arm he got into a mad scratching frenesim, scratching all around, almost like he had fire ants all over his body, or, at least his arm. Gum let out a soft snicker, but she couldn't blame him, if she couldn't touch a part of her body for 4 months she would have mad itches all over, all the time.

YoYo tested his arm, pushing it up. And pushing it down. He was supposed to have it removed at the hospital, but it had been Gum to remove it, once enough time had passed...in fact his back completely healed, sans a minuscule scar he had in in lower back, where the bullet had hit. Gum couldn't do anything about it. It was where the wound had opened.

"So if we go East and then…" - Beat wasn't stupid...in terms of school, he was a bit on the slow side, but he was a master strategist. With the help of Tab, who moved the little models they had, made of cardboard and rolls, and stuff. It wasn't as if they wanted to get jammed by an electric fence or a bullet like YoYo had been.

Tab pointed out something out, making a motion with his arms, to someone it might look like he was swimming, but, to Beat, who was used to Tab, it was obvious.

"So it has cameras in there….so Not East then...but South also has the gate...with the guards and...the fence covers the whole North so…"

"Ahhh fuuuuuuu" - Itching fit over YoYo joined them. - "Yo, that felt good, but we've looked at it from every angle and unless we go under or over, there's no way…"

"Never say never"

"That's a dumb saying" - Gum joined them. - "What you changed from "Jet Set Radio" again and caught that music?"

"Wha?" - Beat was confused.

"Nevermind…" - Gum was quick to drop the tools she had used to free YoYo of his binding and looked at Beat. - "What if we have a different kind of going away party?"

"Like an actual party? Just the four of us it's pretty lame!"

"Yeah, but remember, be careful to whom you reveal the location of your "Rudie" gang hideout!" - That had been one of the first lessons YoYo had been taught by Beat, and he remembered the rule pretty well. - "Your hideout is your safe place"

Beat smiled… - "See! YoYo knows it!"

Gum thought it over…"I was thinking...since you need to study, not me! - Gum's notes had been straight A's and B's and over 80's and 90's. - "That we keep it in the down low, ya know, play some 'Jet Set Radio' "...high, dance around to the music, sneak in a few of those awful smokes…

Beat smiled…

"Yeah...I guess that'd be pretty nice…"

:

:  
:

Surprisingly enough once Beat turned 18 and had finished that one year of intensive education he actually achieved his education. Sure it hadn't been with stellar grades - like Gum had been, but he was actually in a position where he could, not continue to college, Gum was offered the opportunity, he hadn't been offered it. - But have a job.

He was actively searching for a job already, but for now, all that remained was for him to say goodbye to the GG's, forever. It was a sad day for him, it had been him who had started them, and he had had so many good moments. He had grown as a person - as a man there. He had made friends Tab, YoYo, heck even Gum. He had defied the law.

He suppressed a gulp. He guessed everything good must come to an end, he took a large look at "The Garage" the small Gum had followed him there and begged him to be in. He had told her to get lost, only for her to threaten to tell everyone where it was...she had been manipulative, probably wanted to get back at her parents or something...and he had put her through hell...but they had grown to care for one another.

When the newest member joined YoYo, he was more mature, or at least he liked to think he was, he was always there for his needs, even if he.., - and he shivered. - occasionally failed him, as with the bullet situation. Still he passed his knowledge to him, as best as he could, all he had learned as a "Rudie" and as a leader, to the future generations.

He was glad that the GG's were continuing, and that YoYo was taking the helm...because the three original members were quitting. YoYo had recently painted his hair green. "New beginnings" - he had told. And though he looked ridiculous at first, it did fit the punk look.

Beat still wore his classic headphones...but he now listened to other radio stations besides professor K, he conformed, he changed...he had to get on with the groove...high school diploma in hand. He guessed he had to do it.

When he entered, the music was already on, he dropped his shoes - for he didn't skate anymore, or if he did it wasn't as often, at a corner. - and that didn't make his feet B.O any worse, and he entered the room. He saw everyone there, Gum, dancing around, YoYo, munching on some discount, almost out of date food they had gotten cheap, Tab and a huge bl…

...Wait hold on wha? Beat let out a startled scream and the man turned towards him, the radio was playing automatic tunes and he recognized them as when "Dj Professor K" put the radio on auto pilot, but who was the man? What was he doing there? Why was an adult...a full grown adult…

Well besides him - But beat didn't think of himself as an adult. - Doing in the Garage?

The man laughed, and spoke, and that voice...that twang, it could only be one person...but how could it be? How could he know. "Professor K"? Attending his party?

"Hey there Beat!" - He picked a chip, examined it in his hand and then put it back down on the table, next to the speakers. - "Ah yeah! I love this one! C'mon, boy! Don't look so gloom, I know you listen to my stuff, sing it with me!"

It still felt surreal to be with the man whom he had heard for so many years, in the same room, listening to the songs he broadcasted. But Beat didn't want to be rude, so he did what he could "You better watch that, coming at you!" - he said, though the professor's voice made it sound like at "atcha", and the song made it sound exactly like that.

When the song ended and it went on a brief break between songs, the professor spoke again.

"You've been brushing those teeth? I hear that's important!" - Beat shrugged as Professor K, in his black skin, and even darker dreadlocks gestured wildly into the garage. - "Nice place, but it isn't why I'm here!"

So now they came to the part where they figured out why he was here...it was something he wanted to figure out, of course, why was "DJ, Professor K" there, it spiked his curiosity.

"You aren't the first "Rudie" to quit...once you turn 18, well, it gets tough!" - The professor smiled and his teeth were pearly white. Beat's heartbreaker smile was also white, and YoYo's slasher smile equally so, but still, those pearly whites! He guessed that when the "Professor" told the boys and girls to brush those teeth, he wasn't kidding. The "Professor" came in closer to the boy who stood there speechless, a smile on his face, the whites on his teeth, almost blinding him.

"So that's why I wanted to…" - His offer of whatever the heck kind of stuff was interrupted by Tab. Tab had always been very quiet, indeed, but he wasn't being very quiet at that moment, yes, he had danced a bit, but now he stood against the table, and had pressed against it. The table, much like anything else in the garage, was a tad wobbly, so he had pressed it down.

The chips had gone everywhere, the crackers too, but that wasn't what worried Beat, what worried Beat was if Tab was alright, what had he been thinking? He knew that table was not too balanced, especially in the slight incline of the floor…

Tab lifted his head, his woolen cap slightly askew, looking ahead at Beat and at professor K. He still wore the clothes that he wore normally, that blue onesie, except he wasn't wearing the skates he wore normally. His eyes were glossy, his vision turvy

Beat was within him in a moment, and Gum was not far between, YoYo wasn't too far behind, he might not be the leader of them for long, but he was learning.

"C'mon Tab ….ta…" - Beat realised how stupid of an idea that was to ask, Tab didn't talk normally, much less now. - Nod or don't, how do you feel?"

Tab moved his head from side to side, and then pulled it down and started coughing up and retching bile. Beat had smelled that smell enough times in his father's breath and in the streets of Tokyo-to to know what it was.

"He reeks of alcohol!"

Gum lifted herself, unsure of herself. - "Can't be! I didn't bring any alcoholic drinks , who brought the alcohol?"

Professor K approached the three, and Tab,

"Ah, I'm sorry boys and girls, I had brought some party favors to celebrate the occasion! I guess Tab found 'em"

Gum didn't know who to stare in indignation at…"Professor K" who thought it to be a good idea to give alcohol to underage people, or Tab, who had raided them...but she didn't like them. She just stood and huffed.

"He'll have one hell of a hangover in the morning" - YoYo said. Eyeing what he figured to be the bottles. But Gum was already picking them up and stashing them away so none of them touched them and ended up like Tab.

YoYo figured out it was for the better anyway. He was supposed to be the new leader anyway.

"Alright so...Tab is out, so me, and you, Beat, let's put him in the middle of the room and open the window...I know it's freakin cold, yo, but…" - He tried to justify himself to Beat. Beat nodded, lately he had been giving him small situations to lead, not that they did much, not going in tagging trips and such. - "Gum open the window, I'll try to push Tab!"

"Professor K" stood aside, though, judging by him being the only "real adult", he could be...probably capable of carrying Tab on his own. Still he wanted to see how the situation progressed.

Gum opened the window, which was too small for a human to fall, as it was slanted, and then she helped push Tab, they actually rolled him. Not that he was heavy, but they didn't have the force or strength of Tab.

"Idiot!" - Gum scoffed. She liked to defy authority. Some of its rules, but drinking, or barging in and almost getting in an alcoholic coma, was not one of the rules she was willing to break. - "Freak! Like we don't care about him!" - Her rational mask was breaking off and small tears were coming out to her face. She sobbed, as Tab finally came to the middle of the room.

"Hey!" - He hoarsely said. Everyone stared in shock as he spoke...nobody was used to him speaking and he had, truly taken a tumble. - "My head's killing me...what happened?"

Gum's bitter tears turned into tears of laughter, bitter laughter, she couldn't help but laugh.

"You...you prat! You thought it was a good idea to get drunk! Like you are a freaking boozo! Isn't that just the the…" - Gum had no words...she was too choked up, she was so full of emotions that she felt like just kicking him and… - "You're the worse!"

"Hey…" - Beat put a hand to her shoulder, and she stood there, her mouth hanging open, her frame shaking, unsure of what more to say. Tab looked confused, at the emotional outburst that had just happened in front of his eyes, which was probably not helped by the drinks. He put a hand to her leg, the only place he could reach while lying down, his nose scrunched at the bile.

"Remember the.." - Pause, a pause that lasted nearly 2 minutes as if Tab's minded was trying to work throughout all the fogginess, and where "Professor K" just stood, one of the party liquors he had in his jacket and so that hadn't been taken, being drunk. - "the...heist for the smokes?" - Gum blushed, that had been the first, Beat had putten her through absolute hell.

"I remember that! It was the first time I reported about the GG's, and their new member, it was what put you on the map!"

Beat shared a smile with "Professor K", it felt good to be noticed by someone who was heard by all the "Rudies", it also had put them on the maps.

Tab was not done however…

"So emotional...I love that in you...you shouldn't hide it with rationality…" - He took a deep breath as he burped, which, to be honest kind of ruined a moment a bit. - "It was the moment I realised I was falling for you...and it wasn't because I saw your panties...I should have spoken against Beat...sorry"

Tab had never spoken so many words in one go, Gum didn't know what to say, Beat was left open mouthed and YoYo was just left with the same words being mouthed over and over "Dude!"

But Tab had spoken too much, and he had drunk too much and he turned sideways to wretch at the ground, and everything, bile, food, crackers, came out.

Gum was the first to the scene, with the mop, she gave it to Beat. "Clean that up, I'll….get it away from it."

"You really developed this book smart, rational persona because I told you to be rational?"

Gum sighed…

"Tab is in a waddle of his own vomit, I don't think now's the time…"

Beat looked at his friend, it was like him to help but at the same time…

"I'm leaving right now...when will we ever…"

Gum sighed again, she didn't want to do things this way, maybe someday, later, talking over a cup of coffee? But now, this was a mess…

"Partly"

"Well I'm sorry…"

Tab groaned as the smell reached his nostrils again and Gum handed the mop to Beat.

"Really not the time...we'll keep in contact…"

He finished the cleaning.

:

"Professor K" smiled at Beat as he approached the professor…

"Sorry about that...it was a mess, but it did bring up some stuff...Hey there's one thing I always wanted to ask, how come you always know what's going on?"

"Now now" - The professor showed his pearly whites, shaking a finger - "Where's the fun in knowing…"

"Really? Not going to say?"

"They scramble my pirate radio...I scramble their radio waves...as I said, good to keep their dirt"

Beat smiled, that was gold…

"Did you need anything 'Professor'"

"Oh, I was just going to offer you a job, there's this old record shop...nobody buys records anymore...it's mostly for hipsters and "rudies" who own boom boxes like you, but...ya know, it's all digital now, do you want the job? Help a fellow "Rudie" out?

Beat whistled...no way he was going to refuse a job!

"Of course! I don't care if the pay is awful! It's a job! It was a promise...a promise for a better future!""

"Professor K" smiled.

"I always liked you, the GG's. you kid's had drive. It'll be interesting to see what the next gen brings to the table.

Beat smiled, though it was a sad smile, he'd miss this all, the tagging, the defying authority, everything it brought…

"At least it's YoYo...let's see how it goes...I taught him some tricks, but we'll see"

Professor K brought him to the window, the view, as usual was shit, and half the lights were broken, in fact the tags here hadn't even been bothered to be cleaned. - "Ya know...you left your mark, that's what matters. You'll always be remembered, the original GG's, the end of an era…"

"Want to do the honors?"

"What, really, you want me to broadcast my last goodbyes?"

"Sure, why not?"

"The van is on the street, we'll do it tomorrow, not much of a party right now, thanks to your friend's...hum confession, but, you can do it when I treat your job papers."

Beat glanced around...in fact the party had stopped, Tab was in the floor, Gum was staring at the wall, all pink, and bothered, and he knew she must be fighting her feelings. YoYo was just laughing. At least someone was having a good time.

"Thanks "Professor...You're really cool"

"I know"


	13. Epilogue (End)

The two of them stood in the van from whence "Dj Professor K" broadcasted. It was a cramped space which was filled with all the latest in radio equipment and was really not meant to hold two people, so they barely had space to move. Beat idly wondered how the signal arrived at every point of the city from a moving point. - in fact, the van couldn't exactly be fit for driving, sure it could move, but the rear view was obstructed by the wires going in and out to the various electronics, to display what was currently on screen.

Still now they sat still and they were ready for the broadcast, the one where Beat said his goodbyes to the Rudie world. After Tab's bombastic confession, which he didn't seem to remember in the morning, nothing much had happened in the party, but the mood had been down. This was, hopefully, a lot more upbeat. He snickered. Up-beat, like his chosen Rudie name, Beat,

The music played on auto-pilot as the entire van shook with the power of the music, they stood, still, and he had to admit, it wasn't just in terms of space that it was cramped, but also in terms of height. The "Professor" had put a chair in there, one of those that doesn't squeak, and there were also the ones he sat at for driving, and that one was where sat now, looking ahead.

What was he going to say to the other "Rudies"? That they were always a riot? That they had provided him with good times and that he had fun, that no matter if Captain Onishima or whomever came next, he hoped they never gave up tagging, like he was doing it? To tag on?

Beat didn't know, but the moment of truth was clearly, and quite on, approaching. The light on the receiver turned green, and the "DJ" approached the microphone as the music drew to a close. Beat realised just how well planned this thing was, school had ended, not only for him, but for most everyone, and they'd be listening to "Jet Set Radio", bored out of their minds, probably in their own "Rudie" hideouts.

"Yo boys and girls, how ya doing, have you been good little 'rudies'? The GG's little plans have been brewing up and they threw a wild party to which I wasn't invited to, and some wild love confessions were made." - The professor paused. Beat was sure that back in the "Garage", YoYo was laughing while Tab was mortified wondering if he had said what he had indeed said. But that wasn't important. He allowed a small pause. Beat observed the method to which he spoke, there was a filter, so he didn't breath into the microphone, like a professional setup, of course, but… - "Their wildest members are retiring and a new generation may or might be forming, we don't know yet, but their leader, Beat, has officially retired, I got him here with me, to share his words of wisdom with all yo upcoming and fellow "Rudies" out there.

A pit was forming in Beat's stomach. So...this was it. His last few words as as a Rudie...there was the screeching of the chair and a few grunts as the "Professor" indicated him to move into the mic. Beat felt stupid, he felt dumb, he felt...empty. What was going to say.

"Yo…" - He said at last, borrowing the catchphrase from one of his closest friends. His palms felt sweaty, it was obvious he was nervous. - "geez….hum, Yo, I'm Beat, or I guess, I was Beat, that name was my former name...you know…" - He was rambling unsure of what to say, but the professor was making a motion with his hand to indicate that he should keep going, and he was slowly gaining confidence. - "When you first join, or create a "Rudie" gang, like me when I created the "GG's" you tend to have a lot of doubts, you tend to think something like how crazy it is, you're basically getting rid of all contacts with adults to live on your own, scavenging...there's always that hunger in the pit of your stomach, a lot like the one I'm feeling now actually, from nervosism, but this one is from not getting fed properly."

Beat allowed himself a small pause to wet his lips, as he imagined everyone listening, would anyone care? He knew at least YoYo would, and so would Gum, and Tab, if he wasn't too hungover to, would also approve of his words.

"But that all seem worth it when you get your tag, or your heist, or...whatever, when you defy authority, and you get...that rush, that feeling. It feels so good! Like going into battle or something, or winning at a videogame, or winning the lottery. Things most of us never had, but we can pretend to have." - Beat thought back...it felt good, indeed.

"Anyway, I'm rambling, then problems start to appear, your gang gets bigger, there are tensions, authorities bust you or your friends, I'm sure we all remember school." - Bitter laugh, though he didn't think anyone found it funny. - "And...then...it ends."

"Yeah, it gets to a point where you realise you can't keep doing the same stuff forever because you can be tried as an adult and charges get pretty long. I can almost imagine Captain Onishima's stubble as he tells me what grown up hardass prisoners do to pretty little boy's like me in jail."

"I...choose to quit, ultimately, there will be "rudies" that won't. I think I did much, and I'm proud of what I did." - He looked back. The "Professor" was looking at him . - "I left my mark and passed the torch, gave the leadership to a younger member, and I think the GG's will live on."

He took a deep breath, that was, due to the filter, not picked up by the mic.

"I know the GG's are one amongst 5 or 6, and maybe they aren't the biggest, the most important, the most techno, the most gimmicky, heck the most interesting...look, I don't care. We changed lives, even if only the ones of our members. We caused stress to the fat bastard...that is Captain Onishima...and as I quit...I can say...I'm proud."

He stood straighter hitting his head in the ceiling of the van and hiding his pain through his next few words.

"Yes, proud, proud of what I accomplished, and so should every "Rudie" in this town. You know what my friends? I may quit, but you? Tag on!"

Professor k pushed a button and the music restarted, Beat slumped into his chair, tears from the pain from the top of his head still present. He didn't know how to feel.

"How was it?"

Professor K put a hand to his shoulder, they had to stand slouched due to the low ceiling of the van.

"I really miss my old installations" - He tutted back to the past. - "Huh? How was it! It was pretty good...my boy, you spoke from the heart, and the heart came sincere. That's pretty good."

Though he didn't understand what it all meant, Beat felt good about the compliment, he couldn't help but smile.

"Now let's go treat your papers so you can be employed!" - The "Professor" said, taking the van for a spin.

 **The end**

 **Author's Notes...You probably figured out by now but this whole story, minus some continuity differences, pretty much leads into one of my favorite stories "2029" from this very section. Which is rated M and is also near completion. I didn't plan it at first but it turned out that way.**

 **That is my recommendation, if you enjoyed this story give that one a read. It's based on Future so Corn (Tab) is the leader, and not Beat, but it pretty much has everything I'd imagined a sequel to this would have.**

 **Anyway, with that said, I can only give you all a heartfelt thank you for having read this far...this has been my longest project to date, and it shows. I think it improved my writing.**

 **And, as (at least my version of Beat) would say, "Keep on spraying".**

 **Thank you.**


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